Gov. Lamont Proposes Ending Open Gun Carry, Limiting Handgun Purchases

CONNECTICUT — Gov. Ned Lamont announced a series of gun control proposals for the 2023 legislative session, including banning open carry of firearms in public and limiting the number of handgun purchases per month.

“National statistics show that Connecticut remains one of the safest states in the country and violent crime has been decreasing here over the last several years, but even one shooting is one too many,” Lamont said in a statement.

Lamont proposed banning open carry of firearms in public, but continuing to allow concealed carry with a permit. Permit holders currently can open or close carry in public, except for certain places such as bars and other gun-free zones.

He also wants to limit the number of handgun purchases to one per month for residents in an effort to discourage straw purchasing, which is when someone buys a gun for a person who is prohibited from owning a gun.

“Many guns involved in crimes occurring in our communities are purchased illegally on the underground market, and deterring this kind of straw purchasing will have a major impact on lowering crime,” Lamont said. “I think a lot of people are surprised when they learn that you can buy an unlimited number of handguns within a very short period of time.”

Legislative Republicans criticized some of Lamont's proposals.

"Unfortunately, once again the Governor and majority party Democrats have failed to recognize – or worse, chosen to ignore – that the current policy of blaming victims, restricting the rights of law-abiding citizens, and coddling violent offenders isn’t working, and are instead doubling down by trying to further limit the ability of Connecticut residents to protect themselves,” Rep. Craig Fishbein, Republican ranking member of the judiciary committee, said.

President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan gun bill into law last year that created a specific penalty for straw purchasing guns.

The governor also wants to add $2.5 million to a community-based crime reduction grant program.

“I have seen the success of our state-supported community violence intervention programs up close and personal,” State Senator Gary Winfield, co-chair of the Judiciary Committee, said. “They are critical to addressing and preventing gun violence in our communities, where strict gun laws fail to stop gun-related crime.”

Lamont also wants to retroactively apply Connecticut’s ghost gun regulations. He signed a law in 2019 that required owners of ghost guns to register them with the state. The law only applied to such guns that were manufactured after the legislation went into effect. The governor now wants to eliminate the grandfathering clause.