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 safety