Sen. Kissel Backs Law-Abiding Gun Owners in Historic Debate

Photo credit: Jacqueline Rabe, CT Mirror
Sen. John A. Kissel (center) holds aloft a copy of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Heller decision during the historic April 3 gun control debate at the State Capitol.

While Sen. Kissel acknowledged that “you just can’t have a heart at all if you don’t feel for the families and friends and neighbors of the victims of that Newtown massacre,” he expressed concern that the bill would be ultimately harmful to lawful gun owners. “When it comes to further regulations on guns and ammunition in one of the states that’s touted as having, right now, some of the toughest gun laws in the United States of America, I think this proposal goes one step too far,” said Kissel, who opposed the bill.

Kissel and others said the bill, which passed the General Assembly and is now state law, infringes upon the rights to gun ownership protected by the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
“At the end of the day, making it more onerous on law-abiding citizens in our state is not the solution,” Kissel said, drawing applause from gun rights advocates in the gallery.