Matt Blumenthal

Last week, I visited the White House to discuss gun violence prevention with state legislators from 39 states. Panel discussions included action on gun violence protection, gun safety policy, and the launch of Vice President Kamala Harris’ Safer States Initiative, which provides states with additional tools and the support they need to reduce gun violence and save lives. Speakers included Vice President Harris, Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco, Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs Tom Perez, and state legislators from across the nation.

I was proud to help represent Connecticut at the White House. We shared Connecticut’s successes, heard best practices, and met leaders from across the nation. Although we always have more work to do, one of the takeaways was that Connecticut remains a national leader in combating gun violence. 

We are lucky to have strong partners in the White House in President Biden and Vice President Harris, who’ve made clear their Administration will continue to vigorously support gun-violence prevention efforts across the country by sharing resources, information, and best practices — in addition to national legislation like the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which was signed in to law a year ago last week.

Here is a look at some of our recent legislative successes in Connecticut:

• In 2023, we passed a law closing loopholes in our assault weapons and large-capacity magazine bans, restricting open carry, and expanding the ban on the sale of semi-automatic guns to those under the age of 21 
• In 2021, I was proud to help write our law updating our red-flag law to allow family members and clinicians to ask the court to intervene when a person poses an imminent risk of injury to themselves or others
• In 2019, I co-authored and led passage of our law banning Ghost Guns and 3D-printed guns
• In 2019, the Connecticut General Assembly also passed Ethan’s Law, which requires that any gun be properly stored so that individuals under the age of 18 cannot access the firearm

State Representative Steve Stafstrom and State Senator Herron Gaston also attended the gun violence prevention summit at the White House.

I recently spoke with Fox 61 to discuss our state efforts to expand gun control legislation, which remains a top priority 11 years after the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School. It is a privilege to work as your state representative to make our communities safer. Please click on the video below to watch the interview.

We continue to craft legislation to improve and expand our gun safety laws in Connecticut.