Democrats called for an expansion of Connecticut’s assault-weapons ban that would cover a broader array of weapons, ban their sale and make it a felony to possess an assault weapon without applying for a certificate of possession from the state. Democrats also called for a ban on large-capacity magazines holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition. Republicans joined Democrats in calling for universal background checks, expanded safe-storage requirements, added requirements to buy ammunition and other measures. They cited 16 areas of agreement. Still, Democrats and Republicans ended up with sharply differing agendas on the most contentious issues, which leaders of the Democratic-controlled General Assembly must now address. The six leaders of the two houses aim to draw up legislation perhaps within the next week. Democratic and Republican leaders of the gun-violence subcommittee of the Legislature’s Bipartisan Task Force on Gun Violence Prevention and Children’s Safety Tuesday said gun legislation had proved extraordinarily complex and contentious, given a historic outpouring of responses from opponents and supporters of new gun-control measures. “My experience, having been in the Legislature for 32 years, is the level of broad-based interest in this subject is unprecedented,” said State Senator Martin Looney, co-chairman of the guns subcommittee. He said the volume of contact from residents and the galvanization of public interest was “extraordinary.” But it was clear that bipartisanship had its limits. Republicans hailed the committee’s “comprehensive approach to gun safety,” which they said would close loopholes in current law and restrict who can legally possess specific weapons. But they said that partisan differences remained. Speaking for Republicans on the subcommittee, Representative Craig Miner, co-chairman of the guns subcommittee, said: “We believe it’s not the gun that kills the person. It’s the person that actually kills the person. That sounds kind of cold, but that’s the way it is.” Gun-control advocates said that it was now up to the Democratic majority, acting in concert with a strong antigun agenda from Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, to act decisively in response to the Dec. 14 shootings that left 26 children and educators dead. “For Republicans to think that is a response to Sandy Hook is just outrageous,” said Betty Gallo, a lobbyist for gun-control groups, adding that she didn’t understand why, almost three months since the shooting, “the Republican members of the task force brought forward a proposal that doesn’t address the enormity of what happened.” The lack of consensus in the committee came as Democrats have become increasingly frustrated by the deliberativeness of the process while other states, including New York, have passed major gun legislation. On Feb. 21, Governor Malloy announced an aggressive agenda similar to what emerged from Democrats on the committee. Last week, Senator Looney and the Senate president pro tempore, Donald Williams, both Democrats, urged action by March 13 — the next day, March 14, will signify the third month since the day of the shootings. In a letter to colleagues, they wrote: “Other states — New York, Colorado and Maryland — have taken action since the Newtown tragedy. In Connecticut, we must not bow to pressure from those who would delay action as a way of blocking common-sense reforms.” But Mr. Miner said there was no virtue in moving forward too quickly and added that the response to the New York legislation should serve as a warning to legislators in Connecticut. “I don’t consider the time to be an issue,” Mr. Miner said. “If you look at some of the laws that have been passed already by our neighbors, some of the recommendations they are trying to recover from. Did they really finish their job when they passed the first bill? I would suggest they didn’t.”
