Sen. Sampson Anchors 12-Hour Senate GOP Effort to Stop Democrat Attack on Firearm Industry & 2A Through Lawfare

Sampson: HB 7042 will have chilling effect on CT’s firearm industry; a ‘dream’ for litigators & anti-2A activists.

Senior Deputy Senate Republican Leader Rob Sampson (R-Wolcott) strongly opposed the Senate’s passage of HB 7042, which he considers to be the worst anti-Second Amendment piece of legislation in the Connecticut General Assembly’s history.

“This bill does not address gun violence, or criminals who choose to commit it. This bill represents a concerted national effort to effectively litigate the firearm industry out of business.

“It’s an attack on lawful business owners in the firearm industry alone, with civil liability based on the unforeseen actions of criminals. There are vague and subjective terms—trap doors—throughout, which are a dream for anti-gun activists and litigators looking to harm the industry with meritless cases. This is simply a political bill disguised as an effort to keep people safe.

“The message is clear: If you manufacture, sell, or promote legal firearms in Connecticut, you are no longer welcome here. It will have a chilling effect on the state’s firearm industry, and thus your innate right to self-defense through the Second Amendment, the likes of which we have never seen. This is not about public safety and will not save a single life. If this bill is in fact signed into law, there is national legal precedent that may overturn it. I hope that common sense prevails with a veto by the Governor,” said Sen. Sampson.

In addition to impacting the firearm industry, Sen. Sampson warned of the measure’s punitive effects on law-abiding gun owners.

“It is shameful that gun ownership will now be treated as a crime, where you are guilty until proven innocent. This is not hyperbole. By subjecting firearm businesses to the overwhelming liability this bill creates, those who own and operate these businesses will be forced to scrutinize customers more intensely than ever before. I fear that otherwise law-abiding individuals will be turned away, and their Second Amendment rights denied. People purchase guns lawfully for self-defense and sport, but this bill undermines those rights,” he said.

The majority-Democrat bill introduces a subjective “reasonably foreseeable” standard of liability that holds the entire firearm supply chain—manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, distributors, and promoters—accountable for a third party’s criminal use of a firearm, including a potentially retroactive application. This provision opens the door to a flood of civil lawsuits targeting Connecticut’s firearm industry, punishing private business and law-abiding gun owners alike.

Sen. Sampson and Senate Republicans proposed a host of amendments aimed at addressing gun crimes and those who commit them. These included striking or replacing vague/subjective language to limit the exposure of firearm industry businesses, removing gun crimes from the state’s “Clean Slate” laws, restoring police consent searches, preventing plea bargains for Class A or B felony gun crimes, and providing grant funding to towns for hiring School Resource Officers. However, these amendments were rejected by majority Democrats.

The bill now awaits Governor Lamont’s signature to become law. In New Jersey, a U.S. District Court judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of a similar law in that state in 2023.