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He first must be arraigned, then a judge has to issue a protective order forcing him to give up his guns. Some lawmakers say that gap is just enough time for the suspect to post bail, get a gun and shoot his wife. Rep. Michael Lawlor and Sen. George Jepsen are trying to prevent such situations through legislation that would permit police to seize any firearms they find at a domestic violence scene. They also want police to confiscate firearms if someone gives a sworn affidavit that a gun owner's mental capacity or mental health impairs that person's ability to handle a weapon. While their ideas are being lauded by police officers and domestic violence activists, others say they chip away at gun owners' fundamental rights. "Taking a legal weapon away from someone registered to have it is always problematic," said Joseph Grabarz Jr., executive director of the Connecticut Civil Liberties Union. "We have the obligation to protect society, but when we do, we need to do it in the least restrictive way." But West Hartford police Chief Jim Strillacci said if there's ever a doubt, constitutional rights must be sacrificed for the sake of security. "People who want guns for sporting and target shooting have the right to own them, but I don't think that right should take precedence if there is a clear and present danger ... in a volatile household," said Strillacci, also an official with the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association. According to the most recent report from the state Department of Public Safety, there were 22 family violence homicides in 1997. Guns were used in eight of those killings. There were 19,830 incidents of family violence in which at least one person was arrested during 1997. And roughly 1,600 of those arrested had used guns in the assaults. "When someone in a relationship uses a gun to infringe on someone's right to live without fear and intimidation, that person gives up the right to have a gun," said Linda Cimino, executive director of the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence. But that logic is problematic, Grabarz said. "Are you going to take kitchen knives out of someone's house if they're considered dangerous?" he said. "You can characterize almost anything as a weapon." Lawlor, who co-chairs the Legislative Judiciary Committee, said the homicide statistics prove the need for his proposed legislation. "Guns are the weapons of choice for men who kill their wives," said Lawlor, D-East Haven. "Guns are quicker and they make it easier." Lawlor said that by mid-March the proposals he and Jepsen made last week will be drafted into a bill covering several other gun safety issues. Among them is the mental capacity measure. Such a law might have prevented last year's shooting spree at the state lottery headquarters, in which four people were shot to death by an employee who then turned his gun on himself, Lawlor said. Many at the lottery offices expressed their fears about the gunman, Matthew Beck, before the shootings. But under current law, even if someone had reported their concerns to authorities before the shootings, it's unclear what anyone could have done, Lawlor said. Under Lawlor and Jepsen's proposal, a judge would be able to order a person's weapons confiscated if a witness testifies that the owner shows signs of violence. Indicators could include threatening physical injury or torturing animals. "Combine those indicators with access to guns, and you've got a recipe for disaster," Lawlor said. But some Second Amendment activists say the proposal simply infringes on gun owners' rights. "Turn in your neighbor? That's a good Communist ploy," said Robert Crook, a lobbyist for the Coalition of Connecticut Sportsmen. "We object to that." ©1999 WTNH/WTNH-DT |
Lawmakers Push to Close Gun Law Loophole