In the wake of the the devastating Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre three months ago, the Connecticut legislature announced an agreement on a package of what they consider to be the nation’s strongest gun-legislation package.
The package includes a provision mandating a new state-issued eligibility certificate for the purchase of rifles, shotguns or ammunition; expands the assault weapons ban; establishes universal background checks; and prohibits the sale of new high-capacity magazines.
What do the people closest to the emotional center of the gun debate think of the proposed gun control regulations? You might be surprised. Dan and Marilynn are residents of Newtown, Connecticut and grandparents of a nine-year-old Sandy Hook Elementary School survivor. They are also gun owners with differing opinions on the issues.
Dan is skeptical that the legislation will help and believes that parts of it encroach on his freedom: “I just grew up with guns all my life. I was in the military and had to handle weapons in the military. I figure that’s part of my freedom.”
On the other hand, Marilyn believes that something must be done to address the violence and she welcomes the proposed legislation: “I understand where my husband is coming from…but we don’t need 30 round clips or the violence on TV and the games the kids play. It’s just the whole world has become so violent that we have to do something.”
“There’s laws out there already. How come those laws aren’t being enforced?” asks Dan, questioning the need for these new regulations. “I thought you had to have checks. When I got a handgun permit, I had to be fingerprinted. I had to go through an evaluation. What happened to all that?”
One aspect that they can agree on is the assault weapons ban provision. “I think that there’s no real need for an assault weapon, not unless you’re in the military,” says Dan. “I’m all for it,” adds Marilyn.