State House of Representatives passes ban on sale of “convertible pistols”
The Connecticut House of Representatives passed a ban on “convertible pistols” Wednesday, which bans the sale of pistols that can be altered to become a machine gun by attaching a pistol converter, CT Mirror reported.
The bill passed with an 86-64 vote. All 86 votes in favor came from Democrats, with 15 Democrats joining all House Republicans in voting against the bill.
The bill, Substitute House Bill 5043, An Act Concerning Convertible Pistols and Unfinished Frames or Unfinished Lower Receivers, was originally introduced by Gov. Ned Lamont and hopes to stop companies from manufacturing legal weapons that can be illegally altered to become automatic, according to CT Mirror.
The bill will not affect people who already own weapons that fall under the bill and will not prevent people who own convertible pistols from selling them to friends or family, according to CT Mirror.
The bill’s opponents argued that it shouldn’t be illegal to own an item that, by itself, isn’t illegal because it could be altered into something illegal or deadly, according to CT Mirror. State Rep. Craig Fishbein, a Republican, compared it to banning pool chemicals.
The bill is set to go into effect on Oct. 1.
Former CT State Rep. Stephen Dargan passed away
Former Connecticut State Rep. Stephen Dargan of West Haven, 71, died Wednesday from cancer, CT Insider reported.
Dargan served 13 terms as state representative, first being elected in 1990. Dargan left the role to serve on the state Board of Pardons and Paroles in 2016.
Dargan is remembered amongst his colleagues as being fun-loving and hardworking, according to CT Insider.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong wrote that he was “deeply saddened” about Dargan’s passing in a press release.
“Dargan was a close colleague in the legislature where we worked together on important legislation to improve the criminal justice system and protect public safety,” Tong wrote. “When I started in the legislature, Chairman Dargan was a giant — Chairman of the Committee on Public Safety, highly respected and well loved by his colleagues. He never took himself too seriously, and I could count on him to give me a good ribbing when I deserved it. We loved him, all of us, and our state was made better, and much safer, because of Steve Dargan.”
Rep. John B. Larson of Connecticut’s First Congressional District called Dargan “an outstanding leader for the people of West Haven and the entire State of Connecticut” in a press release.
“I was proud to serve with him in the Connecticut General Assembly as a colleague and a friend,” Larson said. “He was a person with a heart of gold, a good sense of humor, and a deep understanding of what the people he was sworn to serve needed and had the dedication to get it accomplished. As Chairman of the Committee on Public Safety, he rallied our state after the tragic Sandy Hook shooting to enact some of the strongest gun safety laws in the nation – and save lives.”