House Republican Press Release

April 29, 2006

Press Office: 860-240-8700

Rep. Bacchiochi: State House Rejects Measure that Would Have Penalized Gun Theft Victims

The state House of Representatives Friday rejected a measure opposed by state Representative Penny Bacchiochi that would have penalized law-abiding gun owners whose firearms were stolen or lost.

“Although well-intentioned, this proposal would have penalized law-abiding gun owners whose firearms were stolen or lost and who failed to report the incident to police within 72 hours after the theft occurred,” Representative Bacchiochi, R-52^nd District, said today.

“Since most legitimate gun owners do not store their firearms in plain view, it is entirely possible that someone whose home was burglarized might not notice a missing rifle, shotgun or pistol for days or weeks after the theft took place. That could mean many law-abiding citizens whose firearms were stolen could be victimized once again if they did not report the theft within the 72-hour time frame and were fined $500,” Representative Bacchiochi said.

“Since law-abiding citizens who own firearms would almost certainly report the theft of a firearm as soon as they became aware of the loss, the proposal that was defeated today was not only unnecessary but amounted to little more than harassment of legitimate gun owners,” Representative Bacchiochi said.

“Law abiding citizens who happen to own firearms are not the problem. Criminals who commit crimes while using illegal guns and those who sell them the weapons are the people we should be targeting. That is why I strongly support full funding for the state’s Gun Trafficking Task Force, which had considerable success when it was fully operational several years ago but which has been inactive since then because the state legislature has been unwilling to provide the funding necessary to reactivate it,” Representative Bacchiochi said.

The measure, an amendment to a bill (Senate Bill 105) that would have prohibited the sale of electronic defense weapons, was rejected on a vote of 79 – 66. It would have required gun theft victims whose firearms were stolen or lost to report the incident to police within 72 hours “after [the] person knew or should have known” about the theft or loss. Persons who failed to report the theft or loss within 72 hours would have been subject to $500 fines.