WATERBURY, Conn. (WTIC Radio)—Waterbury Chief of Police Fernando Spagnolo advocated for measures to reduce gun violence nationwide as he testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday.
During his testimony, Spagnolo spoke to the success of Connecticut's gun laws when it comes to preventing gun violence.
He offered examples such as implementing universal background checks, expanding the state's assault weapon ban and outlawing sales of new high capacity ammunition magazines.
Spagnolo also spoke about other preventative measures that involved protecting members of the public, including heightened protections for victims of domestic violence as well as suicidal individuals.
"Most recently, we passed Ethan's Law: a common sense measure that requires guns to be safely stored if children might have access to them," Spagnolo said. "This is a law named in honor of Ethan Song, a 15-year-old boy from Guilford, Connecticut who died unintentionally when shot with an unsecured gun."
"Nationwide, nearly 4.6 million children live in homes with access to unsecured and loaded guns, and eight children are unintentionally shot with an unsecured firearm daily," he continued.
Spagnolo also advocated for community partnerships that tackle some of the root causes of gun violence such as youth violence prevention programs and mental health/substance abuse recovery services.
He shared that Connecticut has seen a 41% reduction in gun homicides and a 15% reduction in gun suicides since 2014 after Connecticut began implementing stronger gun laws.
Despite the recent surge in gun purchases nationwide in the midst of the pandemic, Spagnolo said, Connecticut still has one of lowest gun death rates in the country.
While testifying remotely, he stressed that federal gun reform is needed because states with strong gun laws like Connecticut still struggle with illegal guns crossing state lines.
"Connecticut is not an island," Spagnolo said, "and without federal action, we remain at the mercy of states with weak gun laws."
The hearing comes just one day after a shooting left 10 people dead in Boulder, Colorado.
"It's terrible," Spagnolo said when commenting on the most recent shooting, and the fact that one of its victims was a Boulder police officer, "These are real concerns and real situations that our police officers have to deal with each and every day. Any law or any solution that could take guns out of the hands of prohibited persons is so beneficial and so important for us to really consider."
The Senate Judiciary Committee will continue considering proposals on reducing gun violence with a series of hearings planned covering community-based and public health-based solutions.