As Connecticut’s General Assembly passes a package of restrictive gun control measures, local gun owners in Litchfield County, CT headed to gun shops and sporting goods stores on Wednesday to stock up on items that will soon be banned.
According to The Register Citizen, gun stores around the state were packed on Tuesday. Local gun shops report they are out of a lot of their products, including ammunition, firearms, and reloading equipment.
However, Matt Hiller, an employee of Northwest Sporting Goods and Supply, said they have been experiencing shortages for three months.
“People knew something was happening,” said Hiller. “I can’t get ammo for anything.”
Autumn Gun Works owner Chris Marino indicated that he is unhappy with the process behind the legislation in his state.
“There was no public input. They’re going to ram this thing through,” Marino said. “I’ve read the abstract of the bill. There were things that could have been worked out.”
Marino said that he and other gun shop owners have already been struggling to keep up with the background checking process that is already in place in the state.
The parking lot at Hoffman’s Gun Center and Indoor Range in Newington was packed on Tuesday morning, the Register Citizen reports. Inside, customers waited in long lines to purchase whatever merchandise was left.
Mike Higgins, owner of Branford’s TGS Outdoors, said that the store has been busy since it opened on February 4th. He said it is unfortunate that people are buying the guns, magazines, and ammunition for fear that the government will limit their ability to own firearms, or even confiscate them.
“We are short on everything,” Higgins said. “I would rather see people coming in because they want to get back into skeet shooting… it’s panic buying. I don’t like that at all.”
As Breitbart News reported earlier on Wednesday, Connecticut’s General Assembly is poised to pass a “convoluted” package of gun restrictions, even though its already tight gun control laws did nothing to prevent the Sandy Hook shootings.
“It’s a knee jerk reaction,” said Tyler Birden, a Torrington gun owner. “[Legislation] is not going to bring those kids back.”
“I think it’s unconstitutional and an infringement on my rights,” Birden added. “There’s no need for the government to know what I keep on my private property, things I bought with my own money. It’s just a way for the government to keep tabs on people who have guns.”
Joe Eversole, another gun owner, said he is not even “remotely surprised.”
“The legislators followed along this particular line of reasoning. I know they felt the need to do something but they’re not doing anything that will make anyone safer,” Eversole said.
Regarding the portion of the legislation package that would require anyone currently owning a high-capacity magazine larger than ten rounds to register with the government, Brooke Cheney, a competitive pistol shooter and instructor, said, “I think it’s silly. We’re scratching our heads. It’s hard to have an opinion on something that doesn’t make sense.”
About the Connecticut gun legislation, Reason.com said:
One of the unwritten rules of politics is that any legislation labeled “bipartisan” is sure to be especially poorly thought out and intrusive. That’s also true of legislation that’s labeled “emergency” and pushed through in a way that bypasses normal procedures, including public hearings. Connecticut’s gun control package satisfies both criteria. It’s a true dog’s breakfast that could satisfy only those who value restrictions on freedom for their own sake, or else admire train-wrecky lawmaking as an exercise in performance art.
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