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Connecticut Carry - HB 5220 - Banning replicas and air guns

Rich B

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http://cga.ct.gov/2012/TOB/H/2012HB-05220-R00-HB.htm said:
AN ACT CONCERNING LOOK-A-LIKE FIREARMS.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2012) (a) As used in this section, "look-a-like firearm" means any imitation firearm, simulated firearm, replica of a firearm or other device which substantially duplicates or is so similar in coloration and overall appearance to an existing firearm as to lead a reasonable person to perceive that the device is a firearm.

(b) No person shall alter, change, deface, remove, paint, emboss or in any other manner obliterate any coloration or markings that are required by any applicable state or federal law or regulation for any look-a-like firearm, in a manner that makes the look-a-like firearm look more like a firearm. Any person who violates any provision of this subsection shall have committed an infraction. This subsection shall not apply to the use of look-a-like firearms in theatrical productions including, but not limited to, motion pictures and television and stage productions.

(c) No person shall possess any look-a-like firearm, paintball gun, pellet-firing air gun or BB. gun in or on, or within one thousand five hundred feet of, the real property comprising a public or private elementary or secondary school. Any person who violates any provision of this subsection shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than three months or both.

(d) The provisions of this section shall not apply to any look-a-like firearm, paintball gun, pellet-firing air gun or BB. gun used by the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, police departments, the Department of Correction or the military or naval forces of this state or of the United States in the discharge of their official duties.


Statement of Purpose:

To make it an infraction for any person to deface the markings on any look-a-like firearm and to ban the possession of look-a-like firearms, paintball guns, pellet-firing air guns, and BB. guns within one thousand five hundred feet of, the real property comprising a public or private elementary or secondary school.

This is a ridiculous overreach of our state legislature to ban air guns and replicas from private homes and properties all over Connecticut. 1500 feet is a huge radius around the 'real property' of a public school. It exceeds even the Federal law on carrying real firearms without a permit around schools.

This needs to be fought aggressively.

There is public hearing on March 1st, 2012.

Here is how to testify:
http://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/content/yourvoice.asp

We should all also be writing our legislators to tell them how distasteful and restrictive this is.

Everyone needs to get testimony submitted on this. Everyone needs to contact their representatives.
This is a huge overreach and needs to receive the scrutiny and outcry it is demanding.

Public hearing information:

*SELECT COMMITTEE ON CHILDREN
THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 2012
The Select Committee on Children will hold a public hearing on Thursday, March 1, 2012 at 2:30 P.M. in Room 1E of the LOB. Please submit 25 copies of written testimony to Committee staff at the time of sign up. Testimony submitted after sign-up may not be distributed until after the hearing. Sign-up for the hearing will begin at 1:30 P.M. in First Floor Atrium of the LOB. The first hour of the hearing is reserved for Legislators, Constitutional Officers, State Agency Heads and Chief Elected Municipal Officials. Speakers will be limited to three minutes of testimony. Unofficial sign-up sheets have no standing with the Committee.
SUBJECT MATTER: Child Related Bills
*S.B. No. 194 (RAISED) AN ACT CONCERNING THE POSTPONEMENT OF JURY DUTY FOR BREASTFEEDING MOTHERS.
*H.B. No. 5184 (RAISED) AN ACT CONCERNING DISSECTION CHOICE.
*H.B. No. 5218 (RAISED) AN ACT CONCERNING TOXIC FIRE RETARDANTS IN CHILDREN'S PRODUCTS.
*H.B. No. 5219 (RAISED) AN ACT CONCERNING THE INCLUSION OF YOUNG ADULTS IN THE ANNUAL REPORT CARD ON POLICIES AND PROGRAMS AFFECTING CHILDREN.
*H.B. No. 5220 (RAISED) AN ACT CONCERNING LOOK-A-LIKE FIREARMS.
 
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customcreationllc

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Naugatuck CT
What a BS law.
I can have a real gun but not a fake gun.
I guess I'll have to move. I'm sorry when I drive around I don't know where every school is located.
I think I'm going to invent a GPS with gun and gun free zones.
I'll probably sell most of them to the criminals.

I wonder what look alike really is? A little squirt gun? Rubber band gun? Pointing your finger like a gun?

What about schools that have paintball teams?


Just let citizens carry on school grounds. Problem solved.
 
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CTSurvivor

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Connecticut
I happen to be an avid airsofter along with many of my friends. I reposted this thread on four different airsoft forums.
Nice thing is the airsoft community is very very large and these people will email and call people.

Lets keep our fingers crossed with this one!
 

brk913

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Oct 10, 2007
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Location
Plainville, CT
Rich, I received your email on this earlier this morning and was shocked. Thanks for the heads up on this one. A totally ridiculous ban/law. I am going to try to make the public hearing on this one. Thanks again for the heads up!!
 
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davidmcbeth

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why are police etc exempt from this ? They use these types of devices?

Plus I don't think that bb-guns are firearms, making the entire bill junk.

The school restrictions are crap anyway, for any type of gun ...
 

hobie16

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Norwich, CT
Okay, a quarter mile is about 1320 feet. The "real property" of a school consists of the school property. So essentially this is 1500 from the edge of a school property. That would in a straight line right? Google maps on my phone has a lab that you pick 2 points and it tells you the distance. So where I grew up it would not be illegal to possess a bb gun or a paintball gun (doesnt really resemble a real gun at all). I need to get in touch with my representative. It doesn't mention anything about private vs. public property. So is it safe to say that as the bill is written, possession of a bb gun on your own property is illegal? I am trying to explain this bill to people so they see the lunacy in it.
 

Rich B

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Okay, a quarter mile is about 1320 feet. The "real property" of a school consists of the school property. So essentially this is 1500 from the edge of a school property. That would in a straight line right? Google maps on my phone has a lab that you pick 2 points and it tells you the distance. So where I grew up it would not be illegal to possess a bb gun or a paintball gun (doesnt really resemble a real gun at all). I need to get in touch with my representative. It doesn't mention anything about private vs. public property. So is it safe to say that as the bill is written, possession of a bb gun on your own property is illegal? I am trying to explain this bill to people so they see the lunacy in it.

http://cga.ct.gov/asp/menu/CommDocTmyBillAllComm.asp?bill=HB-05220&doc_year=2012

You can just read what others have said about it.

http://ctcarry.com/Legislative/Session
 

Rich B

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HB 5220 is out of committee, the committee voted unanimously in favor of it while adding an amendment that made it into an infraction.

Get information about this and other relevant bills here:
http://ctcarry.com/Legislative/Session

Connecticut Carry's response to this vote is here:
http://ctcarry.com/Document/Details/f66247a2-f9dc-4569-bb3f-195f30cdde5f

Please contact the members of the Select Committee on Children and express your disappointment in their decision.

The membership of the committee can be found here:
http://cga.ct.gov/asp/menu/MemberList.asp?comm_code=KID
 

customcreationllc

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Naugatuck CT
Okay, a quarter mile is about 1320 feet. The "real property" of a school consists of the school property. So essentially this is 1500 from the edge of a school property. That would in a straight line right? Google maps on my phone has a lab that you pick 2 points and it tells you the distance. So where I grew up it would not be illegal to possess a bb gun or a paintball gun (doesnt really resemble a real gun at all). I need to get in touch with my representative. It doesn't mention anything about private vs. public property. So is it safe to say that as the bill is written, possession of a bb gun on your own property is illegal? I am trying to explain this bill to people so they see the lunacy in it.



What kind of morons do we have running this state.
I live less then 1500ft from 4 schools.
I play paintball and shoot BB guns.
I never committed a crime but they want to make me a criminal overnight.
 
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davidmcbeth

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HB 5220 is out of committee, the committee voted unanimously in favor of it while adding an amendment that made it into an infraction.

No more playing cowboys & indians kids. Thank your father kids...."Thanks DAD"..

Its just an infraction so its not a crime ... this one is out there !

I'm going to go over to a school with my toy guns and get a ticket! And the circus will start....
 

Rich B

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Partial good news, they have amended and restated the bill to remove the 1500" junk. This bill is now just a poorly thought out version of 53-206c. Now they should scrap it just on that front.
 

customcreationllc

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Partial good news, they have amended and restated the bill to remove the 1500" junk. This bill is now just a poorly thought out version of 53-206c. Now they should scrap it just on that front.

I couldn't find the amendments.

Even so there are High school paintball teams.
You might want to expand it to the paintball forums.

Almost forgot what about the marching band they spin fake guns around with the flags and stuff.


And what the hell is a look alike firearm? to the other guy made a good point they make real guns in all colors and shapes now.
What about the pepper spray with a pistol grip.


I'm going to draft something up to submit.

Depending on what day it is I'll try to make public hearing this year.
I wasn't sure what to expect last year I'm not a good public speaker but I watched all the High Capacity Mag public podcast not as intimidating as I thought it would be.

Thanks for keeping us aware.
~Justin
 
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Rich B

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I couldn't find the amendments.

http://cga.ct.gov/2012/TOB/H/2012HB-05220-R01-HB.htm

You can also click on 'Text of bill' on: http://ctcarry.com/Legislative/Session

Some responses from the committee:

Rep. Urban, Diana Diana.Urban@cga.ct.gov
1:44 PM

Hi

We added the orange tip language ( is not in the statute) which our police chief association support and our lawyers pointed out that the language in statute did not cover "on school grounds" . This bill was brought to my Committee by the police chiefs

I hope this gives you better idea of what the chiefs asked us to accomplish!

Rep urban

Rep. Mushinsky, Mary Mary.Mushinsky@cga.ct.gov
4:31 PM

No, we took out the 1,500 feet to protect my constituents. It only affects schools now. Police testified in favor as they do not wish to accidentally shoot a child. Mary Mushinsky
 

davidmcbeth

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I still don't see how a child could be charged with this. The law says, in part:

Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2012) (a) As used in this section, "look-a-like firearm" means any imitation firearm, simulated firearm, replica of a firearm or other device which substantially duplicates or is so similar in coloration and overall appearance to an existing firearm as to lead a reasonable person to perceive that the device is a firearm.


How can a child know what a REAL gun looks like?
 

hobie16

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Emailed my rep last week, haven't gotten a response. Most of my email was focused on this 1500ft rule that they have now changed. But I did touch on why the bill is necessary in general among other things and its been a week with no response. MUST BE SOOO BUSY IN HARTFORD
 

davidmcbeth

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Emailed my rep last week, haven't gotten a response. Most of my email was focused on this 1500ft rule that they have now changed. But I did touch on why the bill is necessary in general among other things and its been a week with no response. MUST BE SOOO BUSY IN HARTFORD

You're lucky if you can get a rep to email you back unless you have a prior relationship with him/her. I have this with my rep even though I am a libertarian and he is a demorat.

My state senator on the other hand will not respond to emails or calls. How do I get my point across? I go and visit her HOME. She never likes seeing me walking up her drive but she has not stopped me yet. I visit her on fridays, about 2pm .. always there. She's a true demorat ... commie.
 

Rich B

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Emailed my rep last week, haven't gotten a response. Most of my email was focused on this 1500ft rule that they have now changed. But I did touch on why the bill is necessary in general among other things and its been a week with no response. MUST BE SOOO BUSY IN HARTFORD

I bet I know how they could free up some time...
 
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