Senator Witkos Statement re: Senate Bill 1160

Hartford – State Senator Kevin Witkos issued the following statement re: Senate Bill 1160, An Act Concerning Gun Violence Prevention and Children’s Safety:

“This was not an easy vote. However, I believe that at least one of the provisions would infringe upon a constitutional right; A right that I have taken an oath to uphold. Over the past several months, I received over 7,000 emails with about 95 percent being opposed to the bill.

“During this time, I served on two of the working groups that focused on school safety and gun violence. As part of the Public Safety Committee, I also sat through additional public hearings, but I did not think that was enough. Several weeks ago, I held my own hearing in our district to meet directly with constituents. It lasted for six hours, and I sat across a table from my constituents, giving them the opportunity to speak personally with me and share their views.

“There are some great parts of the bill, which I believe will help keep guns out of the wrong hands, including felons and the mentally ill. But as I said on the Senate floor, the sum of the parts does not equal the whole of the bill. If you start to prune the roots of the tree of liberty, the tree will suffer a withering demise.”