Lawmakers in Connecticut plan to vote on strict new gun-control laws on Wednesday and that has prompted a last-minute rush on guns and ammunition, which are likely to be made illegal in the state.
The proposed laws include immediate background checks for all gun sales and an expanded assault weapons ban. Magazines over 10 rounds are also expected to be banned, while every magazine will need to be registered, and there may be restrictions on the use of currently owned larger magazines.
In anticipation of the tough new rules, gun shops have experienced a surge in sales since President Barack Obama was re-elected. Steve Sanetti, president of the National Shooting Sports Foundation headquartered in Connecticut, told The Washington Post that 2012 "was a year of unparalleled growth and success for the firearms industry."
He said more than 73 percent of retailers had increased sales over the previous year, and that first-time buyers have increased to more than 25 percent of all customers.
But with the impending changes to the law, many gun manufacturers are considering leaving the state, while gun advocates are crying foul.
"When you clamp down where basically everything is restricted, it feels like you're infringing on Second Amendment rights," Shari Reilly, a Connecticut gun owner, told
NBC News. She said she depends on the larger magazines to protect her family.
"I don't train for someone who is breaking into my house. If I miss, am I stuck because you limit me to seven rounds or 10 rounds?" she added.
Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy is expected to sign the new gun bill immediately. "This is a good moment," Malloy told The West Hartford News. He called the legislation "far reaching [and] arguably the most comprehensive in the country."
The momentum for the tough new laws came on the back of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown in December, which killed 20 schoolchildren and six adults.
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