Rep. Dauphinais Supports Gun Owners Rights

HARTFORD- As various pieces of gun legislation continue to be discussed amongst the legislature, State Representative Anne Dauphinais (R-44) continues to stand on the side of law abiding gun owners.

Rep. Dauphinais recently submitted testimony to the Judiciary Committee in support of a bill that would allow Connecticut residents with a valid permit reciprocal pistol or revolver privileges in other states throughout the country and opposed another that would require permits to be shown to law enforcement officers if the firearm was visible.

HB-7259, An Act Concerning Permit and Certificate to Carry a Pistol or Revolver Reciprocity, would permit the Attorney General to enter into negotiations with states or subdivisions of the United States who currently have similar pistol and revolver standards for age, background investigation and training.

“This is especially important to my district and the citizens of the quiet corner as we live on the border of two other states, as many of these residents and my constituents are hunters who travel to surrounding states in order to obtain food for their families,” Rep. Dauphinais said.

Rep. Dauphinais said, “In my view, this is akin to not recognizing a driver’s license…….. Even though the procedures to obtain a driver’s license in each state may be different, each state recognizes the license as legal and valid.”

On the other hand, Rep. Dauphinais opposed changes to HB-6200, An Act Concerning the Presentation of a Permit to Carry a Pistol or Revolver which would delete the reasonable suspicion of a crime piece and allow law enforcement officers to request permits from open carrying individuals without any probably cause.

Dauphinais believes the current language in the bill should stay as is and individuals who openly carry should not be forced into producing their permit upon request from a law enforcement officer just because the firearm is visible.

According to Rep. Dauphinais, this bill would have negative consequences on those law-abiding men and women who choose to open carry in addition to infringing on their First and Fourth Amendment rights.

Rep. Dauphinais said “No citizen should be detained without reasonable suspicion of a crime or probable cause. If this bill passes, law-abiding citizens who choose to open carry in accordance with state law can arbitrarily be detained just because they lawfully open carry.”

“This bill is yet another example of legislation directed at the states law-abiding gun owners,” Rep. Dauphinais said. “While the supporters of this bill believe they have good intentions, the results are infringement on the natural and protected rights of other citizens.”