A state gun rights group said it will appeal this week’s federal ruling upholding stricter firearms laws passed in Connecticut and New York, after the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
Scott Wilson is president of the Connecticut Citizens Defense League, which represents nearly 20,000 gun owners in the state. "Our concern is that at some point, based on this decision, the state of Connecticut or other states may decide that owning other types of firearms may not be suitable for individuals either," he said.
Wilson said the types of firearms that fall under the umbrella of the ban are used in competition. "Some people use them for hunting purposes," he said. "A lot of people use them for day-to-day target practice. And of course many people keep these firearms for home defense purposes."
Monday’s ruling by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals found that limits on the possession of some semiautomatic weapons and large-capacity magazines do not violate the Second Amendment, because the restrictions concern governmental interests in public safety and crime reduction. The court did strike down smaller provisions in the laws of each state.
Governor Dannel Malloy praised the ruling, saying the law has made Connecticut residents safer, and if other states adopted similar legislation, they’d be safer, too.
Gun rights advocates said the U.S. Supreme Court may decide to look at the decision, as there are challenges to gun control laws also underway in other states.
