With an eye on stopping repeat offenders, a task force led by Connecticut’s big city mayors is recommending ways to reduce gun violence.
During a Tuesday news conference at the Capitol, members of the task force set up by the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities said repeat offenders spark a “significant share” of gun violence in the state.
The mayors say that gun violence in Connecticut cities is largely driven by individuals out on bail, probation or parole. They cite 2022 crime statistics from Hartford as an example: of 44 people arrested for shootings, 39% were out on bail when they reoffended, 14% were on probation and 5% were on parole.
“There should be greater accountability,” says Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, who was joined by mayors including Justin Elicker of New Haven, Neil O’Leary of Waterbury and Joe Ganim of Bridgeport.
Also in attendance were mothers whose children have been taken by gun violence. Laquvia Jones of New Haven has had both of her sons killed: Dashown, 18, in 2020, and Dontae, 23, just last month. Police say Dontae was killed by a person who was out on bail at the time.
“This (the task force recommendation) needs to be in place to send a message,” says Jones, “that it’s not acceptable to continue to be a violent offender and just come home and walk free to cause more harm and danger to our community.”
Task force recommendations include:
--having those convicted of a serious crime who are arrested for a new firearm offense post 30% of the bond amount on the new charge (suspects can currently be released by paying a much lower percentage of their bond)
--jailing those arrested on serious firearms offenses if they’re out on bail or parole for a prior serious offense
--expand the definition of “serious firearm offense” to include possession of a “ghost gun,” illegal high capacity magazine, a stolen gun or a weapon altered to be more powerful than allowed by current law.
“If you are out on parole for a serious offense and you commit a new serious firearm offense, you should be remanded to jail, full stop,” says Bronin. “If you’re out on probation and you commit a new serious firearm offense, prosecutors should have the ability to move for a violation of probation. Individuals should be detained pending hearing and the hearing should happen fast.”
The changes would have to be passed by state lawmakers and signed by the governor to take effect.
