Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Conn. proposals on guns, other items after Newtown


Connecticut lawmakers announced a deal Monday on what they called some of the toughest gun laws in the country that were proposed after the December mass shooting at a school in Newtown. Some highlights from the proposal:
GUN LAWS
—Ban sales of high-capacity ammunition magazines;
—Background checks for private gun sales;
—New registry for existing magazines that carry 10 or more bullets;
—Statewide dangerous weapon offender registry, which lawmakers said is the nation’s first;
—Immediate universal background checks for all firearms sales;
—Expansion of Connecticut’s assault weapons ban;
—Safety training and other requirements to buy any rifle, shotgun or ammunition;
—Increases minimum age eligibility for purchase of some semi-automatic rifles to 21;
— Expands requirements for safe storage of firearms;
— Increases penalties for firearms trafficking and illegal possession offenses.
SCHOOL SECURITY
—Creates statewide council to develop safety standards for school buildings;
—Requires each school to write safety plans;
—Requires state to maintain registry of school security consultants working in Connecticut;
—Requires all colleges and universities to submit safety plans to the state.
MENTAL HEALTH
—Bans people who voluntarily commit themselves to a hospital from getting gun permits or eligibility certificates within six months of their release;
— Bans people involuntarily committed to a hospital within the past 60 months from possessing a firearm or receiving a permit or eligibility certificate;
—Expands training to teach people to recognize signs of mental illness in young people and get them help;
—Creates group to study state’s mental health care system;
—Requires that requests for insurers to cover certain mental health services be considered urgent and shortens the review time for them from 72 to 24 hours.
Source: State task force on gun violence prevention and children’s safetyend of story marker

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