VICTORY FOR GUN SAFETY: Connecticut Becomes the 4th State in the Nation to Stop the Sale of DIY Machine Guns as Governor Lamont Signs Landmark Legislation

HARTFORD, CT - Today, the Connecticut chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety's grassroots network, celebrated a historic victory for gun safety as Governor Ned Lamont signed HB 5043 into law. This critical legislation prohibits the future sale of semi-automatic handguns designed in a way that allows them to be easily and quickly converted into fully automatic "DIY machine guns" using an illegal "switch" or auto sear.

With the Governor's signature, Connecticut follows California, Maryland and New York to become the 4th state in the nation to enact this innovative, lifesaving policy. The law holds gun manufacturers accountable for design features that allow their products to be easily modified with common household tools and a $25 piece of plastic into illegal weapons of war capable of firing up to 1,200 rounds per minute-or 20 rounds per second. Nationally, ATF data shows that recoveries of these conversion devices increased by 784% between 2019 and 2023.

"Do-it-yourself machine guns are just as scary as they sound - and just as appealing to criminals as you would suspect," said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. "We applaud Governor Lamont and Connecticut lawmakers for taking action to protect communities and law enforcement from the threat of DIY machine guns."

"Across the country, our movement is preventing easy access to weapons capable of causing mass tragedy in seconds," said Angela Ferrell-Zabala, executive director of Moms Demand Action. "We're proud to see Connecticut join the growing number of states taking action to stop DIY machine guns, and we'll keep fighting until these deadly weapons are off our streets everywhere for good."

"When anyone can turn a pistol into a fully automatic machine gun, our communities pay the price," said Joanna Whitney, a volunteer with the Connecticut chapter of Moms Demand Action. "From Bridgeport to Hartford, we've already seen neighborhoods shattered by the unacceptable devastation of DIY machine guns. Thanks to our lawmakers and Governor Lamont, Connecticut is stepping up to stop the spread of these deadly weapons by holding manufacturers accountable and putting the safety of our families first."

"We are exhausted from growing up in the shadow of a gun violence crisis that only gets more deadly with the rise of DIY machine guns," said Jackie Hegarty, a volunteer with the University of Connecticut chapter of Students Demand Action. "Connecticut's leaders promised to lead on gun safety, and today they proved they are keeping that promise. True leadership means doing the hard work to spot emerging threats and taking proactive action to protect our communities before it's too late."

With the Governor's signature, this law prohibits the sale of handguns that can be easily converted into fully automatic machine guns, holding manufacturers to a basic safety standard: if you want to sell in Connecticut, your pistol cannot be designed to easily accept a switch. This approach does not infringe on gun ownership or take away any firearms already owned by residents. Rather, it targets industry designs that make machine gun conversion easy.