Gun advocates ready to view gun laws

HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) -- One of the strongest second amendment rights advocates at the State Capitol says he's ready to review all of the state's gun laws.

A Republican State Senator from Danbury says he will introduce one change right away.

State lawmakers have been swamped with calls and e-mails in the past week and many have attended funerals that are life changing events.

Republican State Senator Mike McLachlan of Danbury is about to enter his fifth year in the State Senate.

Like other members of the legislature, he was personally touched by the atrocity at Sandy Hook.

"We've been close to the Previdi family all my life and my first job was working for their family business," McLachlan said.

It was Wednesday that McLachlan attended the funeral mass for 6-year-old Caroline Previdi.

"It hit home for me that, even though, I'm a strong second amendment rights person, it seemed appropriate that we really need to have a global discussion about gun rights but, more important, about the violence in America," McLachlan said.

Like others in the aftermath of Sandy Hook, McLachlan wants more discussion about mental health services and violent video games.

But he is ready to revisit Connecticut's 1994 Assault Weapons ban. He's ready to introduce legislation that would close a loophole in that law.

"That loophole is that if you take a pre-'94 weapon and dismantle it and take one piece that has the serial number, you can legally rebuild that into a post-'94 weapon. That's a loophole, we need to fix that," McLachlan said.

Gun control advocates have been complaining about this loophole in the law for years.

McLachlan says he is now ready to look at all the ammunition restrictions proposed yesterday by two Democrats in the Assembly including the one that would ban the possession of any magazines with a capacity of greater than ten cartridges.

"I think our state and the country is going pay very close attention to these suggestions and something is going to happen," McLachlan said.

The regular General Assembly session begins on January 9th. It now appears that the projected budget deficit next year will likely take a back seat to the debate about gun laws and mental health services.