Originally published on 11/13/2014
In the midst of post-election analysis and the endless speculation of talking heads, one fact stands out dramatically: gun safety candidates from both parties won up and down the ballot in 2014.
Governor Dannel P. Malloy’s re-election victory was testimony to the developing consensus about sensible gun safety. His victory dealt a blow to those who, spurred by the gun safety measures enacted after the Newtown tragedy, promised to take revenge on Malloy at the ballot box. They failed to unseat Malloy in the first statewide race since the December 2012 shootings. Rated F by the NRA-Political Victory Fund, which organized at the grassroots to defeat Malloy, the NRA’s anti-Malloy activities were countered by local voters like you and by the efforts of grassroots groups such as CT Voters for Gun Safety (CGVS), along with a host of gun safety groups, including Bloomberg’s Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Gabby Gifford’s Americans for Responsible Solutions. Tom Foley played it coy with voters on the issue of repealing or “fixing” of SB 1160, accepting the endorsement of CT Citizen’s Defense League (CCDL) and accusing Malloy of “bullying” gun owners. Foley was neither impressive in his advocacy for gun rights, nor in his coy parsing of “I won’t repeal ‘cause the Governor is not the legislature” when he felt compelled to assuage concerned pro-safety citizens.
In contrast with the Governor’s race, a handful of wins in the General Assembly by those supporting deregulating gun ownership were achieved by CCDL, while none of the state Senate candidate-challengers supported by CCDL won.
CT Voters for Gun Safety (CVGS) endorsed 68 candidates, and 49 0f these won their election for a 72.1% success rate. Of the 106 elected officials that voted YES for SB 1160, 99 won re-election. And in the 33 instances where CVGS and the CCDL endorsed opposing candidates, 20 of the CVGS endorsed candidates won their election for a 60.6% success rate. Democrats and Republicans who care about gun violence prevention clearly supported those with similar views at the ballot box.
The upcoming legislative session is unlikely to see credible, successful efforts to undo our existing, sensible laws. Governor Malloy has stated an interest in keeping guns out of the hands of those with temporary restraining orders against them, very often perpetrators of domestic violence and abuse. According to the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, women are five times more likely to be killed by their abuser if the abuser owns a firearm. Federal law prohibits abusers who have been convicted of domestic violence misdemeanors and abusers subject to certain domestic violence restraining orders from possessing guns. These laws have significant limitations that can be addressed at the state level, including removing firearms in the possession of an abuser.
Passing these kinds of measures will be challenging, but the election of 2014 demonstrates that the public is listening and agrees that gun safety is good for all.
Susan D. Cocco is chair of the Ridgefield Democratic Town Committee, which supplies this column.