Geraldo Reyes Jr

February 1^st through February 7^th is National Gun Violence Survivors’ week. This week we honor every survivor who must live with the trauma of gun violence every day. By February, more people in the United States are killed with guns than are killed with guns in other high-income countries in an entire year. 

While Connecticut still has ways to go with gun control, safety, and education, here are a few pieces of legislation that our state has passed throughout the past few years:

• Ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines
• Requirement for owners of pistols and revolvers to safely store their weapons somewhere inside the car any time they leave their gun in an unattended vehicle
• “Ethan’s Law”: Requires all firearms, loaded and unloaded, to be safely stored in homes occupied by minors under 18
• Ban on “ghost guns”, or homemade firearms, due to lack of inspection and serial number. Anyone who makes a firearm must register it with the state. 

Due to these pieces of legislation, Connecticut ranks 3^rd in the nation on gun control. However, there is still more work to be done.
 
According to the Gifford Law Center, Connecticut can improve gun safety by creating:

• Safe storage requirements;
• Bulk firearm purchase restrictions;
• Handgun design safety standards; and
• Microstamping requirements.

This year, the legislature is working to continue its efforts in gun safety through proposals to fund gun violence prevention programs. 
 
This week, support gun violence survivors by sharing their stories on momentsthatsurvive.org with the hashtag #GVSurvivorsWeek. And continue to support our survivors throughout the year by educating yourself and your community about gun safety. https://giffords.org/lawcenter/gun-laws/states/connecticut/