With mass shootings still killing Americans, including last week's attacks in Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay, CA, Connecticut's U.S. senators have filed the latest attempt at a federal assault weapons ban. Despite a challenging legislative road ahead, they believe the ban has a chance to become law.
They cite the passage of the bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which made it through Congress last year in the wake of the shootings at Uvalde, TX and Buffalo, NY. It was the first major gun control legislation passed at the federal level in three decades.
"What we showed is that Congress is responsive to the demands of the American people," said Sen. Chris Murphy (D) at a Hartford news conference. "It feels pressure when the people of this country stand up and demand action on guns. So, I still believe that there is an ability to get something like this done in 2023."
The assault weapons ban would resemble the one that took effect in 1994 and was allowed to expire ten years later. It would make sale or possession of dozens of semi-automatic rifles-- such as the notorious AR-15, favored by many mass killers-- illegal.
A separate measure, to be pursued if the effort for a ban fails, would raise the minimum age to buy an assault rifle to 21.
"The American people are on our side," according to Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D). "The majority of the American people want sales of assault weapons to be banned. The majority of the American people think it is crazy-- nuts-- for people under 21 to be able to buy these assault weapons."
While the assault weapons ban has the backing of President Joe Biden, it's unclear, if not unlikely, that it could gain the Republican support necessary to pass unless there's a change of heart by some-- or many.
Gun rights groups, such as the Connecticut Citizens Defense League, have consistently opposed further gun control measures at the federal or state level.
At the news conference, the senators and supporting speakers emphasized the speed and destructiveness of the AR-15 and its cousins.
"Victims of these weapons are left with large cavities in their bodies and pulverized organs," said Dr. Erin Berthel of Moms Demand Action, who emphasized the weapons' especially deadly impact on small children.
