Connecticut: Governor Malloy’s Outrageous Pistol Permit Increase to Be Heard

Next Thursday, March 9, the Joint Committee on Finance, Revenue, and Bonding will hear Senate Bill 787, which would implement Governor Malloy’s budget proposal that immensely increases pistol permit fees.  Please contact the committee members and urge them to OPPOSE this bill!  Also, you may submit your own opposition to testimony to the committee by clicking the “Public Hearing Testimony” on the committee’s page.  Click the “Take Action” button below to contact the committee members in opposition to this egregious fee hike! SB 787 is Governor Malloy’s attempt to place the consequences of his bad governance onto the law-abiding gun owners of Connecticut.  Currently, the cost of an initial permit $140, with renewals being $70 every five years.  Under this bill, the total fee for an initial permit would be increased to $370 with $300 every five years for renewals. Governor Malloy claims in his proposal that this fee increase will generate an additional $9 million a year in revenue. While this increase represents a drop in the bucket for the state’s treasury, it will be very burdensome for ordinary citizens who wish to exercise their Second Amendment rights.  Law-abiding gun owners in Connecticut already have to bear excessive costs and a redundant bureaucratic process that is designed to dissuade them from exercising their constitutional Right to Keep and Bear Arms.  Further, this outrageous increase will disproportionally impact low income citizens, for whom a handgun may already represent an expensive investment towards their personal safety before such fees are taken into account. The hard working people of Connecticut will be further discouraged from renewing their permits, or even applying for one in the first place.  While this proposal is unlikely to raise the stated $9 million, it will help Governor Malloy achieve his other goal of suppressing law-abiding citizens’ ability to exercise their Second Amendment rights. Again, click the “Take Action” button above to contact the committee members in strong opposition to SB 787!