In an extremely disturbing move, it appears that the Connecticut legislature is preparing to fast track new gun laws using an expedited process known as an "emergency certified bill" that will effectively shut the public out of deliberations by bypassing normal public hearing and committee processes.
This is an extremely dangerous path for our state legislators to follow. The tragic murders committed by a deranged young man at Sandy Hook Elementary School cannot now be prevented. The argument that there is an emergency is disingenuous at best. In fact it would be an egregious abuse of the legislature's authority to rush through the process without public participation given that Connecticut's constitution - by Article I, Section 15 - provides that Every citizen has a right to bear arms in defense of himself and the state. Nothing the legislature can now do will bring those murdered in Newtown back. In order to seek to find the best possible way to prevent a recurrence of such a terrible event in this state, the process must instead be as deliberative and transparent as possible.
To voice your concerns about the legislature using the expedited emergency certified bill mechanism, please send an email to each of the following:
Senate President Pro Tem Donald E. Williams Jr.(D-Brooklyn), House Speaker J. Brendan Sharkey(D-Hamden), House Minority Leader Lawrence F. Cafero Jr.(R-Norwalk) and Senate Minority Leader John McKinney (R-Fairfield).







