GUN  LEGISLATION

 

In the wake of Sandy Hook Massacre, CT passed the nations strongest gun legislation. It caused an opposition outcry from gun advocates and the NRA. There are multiple studies that connect gun regulation and gun violence. Those states that have stronger legislation have lower rates of death by gun violence, with CT gun-related deaths some of the lowest in the nation. Many of the arguments made by the anti-gun regulation advocates argue that it does not keep guns out of the hands of criminals and that their best deterrent to criminals with guns is law-abiding citizens with guns. A little-known fact is that CT gun deaths demonstrate that 70% of illegal guns used in crimes within our state come from Virginia. Virginia has few gun regulations which offer easy access for our criminal population. Gun regulation does not eliminate gun deaths, but if a strong national policy existed, such as the largely supported background checks, would it cause a lowering of gun-related deaths across the nation? Studies demonstrate that states with stronger have lower gun-related deaths and each citizen has to ask themselves, is it worth the life savings?