Senator Kevin Witkos Hosts Public Hearing on Legislative Gun Proposals in Canton

State Senator Kevin Witkos, right, listens to testimony during a public hearing at Canton High School to gather input from members of the community about current legislative gun proposals on Monday, March 25th.

Residents From Across 8th Senate District Attend Forum to Share Their Opinions

Canton – State Senator Kevin Witkos (R-8) hosted a public hearing to gather input from members of the community about the proposal to prevent gun violence currently under consideration by the state legislature at the Canton High School Auditorium on Monday, March 25th.

“Tonight is an important opportunity to hear your thoughts and concerns personally about many of the current legislative gun proposals,” said Senator Witkos. “Not everyone has the ability to take a day off of work and spend their time testifying in Hartford. To make sure that everyone in our community has the chance to share their views with me, I decided to hold this public hearing to gather your input so that I can share it with other members of the state legislature.”

The public forum was an opportunity for residents of the 8th Senate District to share their views about the legislative proposals directly with Senator Witkos. State Representative Tim LeGeyt (R-17) was also in attendance.

State Senator Kevin Witkos and State Representative Tim LeGeyt listen to testimony from Mark Jurras, a World War II veteran and Canton resident, at a public hearing on Monday, March 25th.

“Senator Witkos really tapped into the public pulse at this forum, and I was pleased to be a part of it at his invitation,” said Representative LeGeyt. “No issue has captured the attention of the public as have the efforts in Hartford to create legislation which would reduce chances of a repeat of the terrible events of last December in Newtown, and as the people who spoke at this forum demonstrated, there is no simple remedy.”

About 100 people attended the forum that took place at the Canton High School Auditorium from 5:00 p.m. to 10:45 p.m. More than 60 people signed up to speak during the hearing, including residents from Avon, Barkhamsted, Canton, Colebrook, Granby, Hartland, New Hartford, Simsbury and Torrington.

During the 2013 legislative session, Senator Witkos served as a member of the Bipartisan Task Force on Gun Violence Prevention and Children’s Safety. In this role, he served on both the School Safety Working Group and the Gun Violence Prevention Working Group.

At the Monday night forum, Senator Witkos shared an informational pamphlet with those in attendance. It included an introductory letter, a list of several legislative gun proposals and two lists of consensus items that were submitted to legislative leadership by the Gun Violence Prevention Working Group. It also included a summary of the landmark Heller v. D.C. Supreme Court case.

“Throughout the evening, I was impressed by the remarkable turnout of concerned citizens to discuss this important topic,” continued Senator Witkos. “I would like to thank everyone who traveled near or far to attend the forum and those who shared your valuable thoughts about the current legislative gun proposals.”

For more information, please visit Senator Witkos’ website at www.SenatorWitkos.com.