"If other states would adopt similar legislation, we’d all be safer in every state."
Gov. Dannel Malloy
A federal appellate court has upheld gun laws in Connecticut and New York that were passed after the 2012 shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School.
The legal challenges were brought by gun rights groups who argued the laws were unconstitutional. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that limits on the possession of some semiautomatic weapons and large-capacity magazines do not violate the Second Amendment. That’s because the restrictions concern the governmental interests in public safety and crime reduction.
State Attorney General George Jepsen said that the plaintiffs tried to argue that Connecticut's law was an "overreach."
"What this court -- the Second Circuit Court of Appeals -- said was no, this was not an overreach," Jepsen said. "It said that the state does have, in the context of these mass shootings -- where the weapon of choice is an assault weapon, and there's a preference for using high-capacity magazines -- that the state has a compelling interest to do what it can to limit these tragedies."
Governor Dannel Malloy praised the ruling.
“I am gratified. I think the people of Connecticut should be gratified," Malloy told reporters Monday. "I think that law has made us safer in this state and quite frankly, if other states would adopt similar legislation, we’d all be safer in every state.”
The court did strike down smaller provisions in the laws of each state.
The Connecticut Citizens Defense League and the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association have already said they'll appeal the ruling, adding that the decision was not a surprise.
Gun rights advocates said the U.S. Supreme Court may decide to look at the decision, along with three recent rulings on state control laws in five other cases.
