Blumenthal, Murphy Statements on Proposed Connecticut Rate of Fire Enhancements Ban

(Hartford, CT) -- U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) issued the following statements today in support of proposed Connecticut state legislation to ban the purchase and sale of "rate fire enhancements."

"These carnage force multipliers must be banned in Connecticut and nationwide. Connecticut is once again poised to lead the nation in the face of Congressional failure-- a chance to prove again to the nation that it is possible to pass commonsense, serious solutions to protect our communities from the scourge of gun violence. But gun violence does not stop at the state line, and states like Connecticut with strong laws will remain vulnerable until Congress acts. I will not give up the fight,” Blumenthal said.

Murphy said, “Automatic weapons are outlawed for a reason, and bump stocks are a backdoor way to make dangerous guns even worse. I’m glad Connecticut is leading the nation on commonsense gun reforms. Congress needs to follow our lead and make sure no one in the country can buy these devices.”

In October, Blumenthal and Murphy joined Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) in introducing the Automatic Gun Fire Prevention Act to close a loophole that allows semi-automatic weapons to be easily modified to fire at the rate of automatic weapons, which have been illegal for more than 30 years.

In November, Blumenthal, Murphy, Feinstein and 19 other Democratic colleagues also introduced the Assault Weapons Ban of 2017 to ban the sale, transfer, manufacture and importation of military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines. The measure also bans bump-fire stocks and other devices that allow semi-automatic weapons to fire at fully automatic rates.