A federal judge rejected the bid to block Connecticut's landmark 2013 gun control law temporarily, passed in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting tragedy.
The United States district judge in New Haven wants the lawsuit filed by a gun rights group against the measure to conclude first.
Connecticut Judge Denies Bid to Block Gun Law
As per ABC News, a federal judge has rejected an attempt to temporarily block a landmark gun law enacted after the tragic Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. The landmark legislation, which aims to curb gun violence and prevent further loss of innocent lives, has been upheld. It sends a clear message that the state is committed to protecting its citizens against the devastating consequences of gun violence.
US District Judge Janet Bond Arterton says the National Association for Gun Rights has yet to prove that the gun law, which bans assault weapons, goes against the 2nd Amendment right to bear arms for self-defense.
The federal judge further notes that Connecticut officials "submitted persuasive evidence that assault weapons and LCMs are more often sought out for their militaristic characteristics than for self-defense." With that in mind, Arterton continues, "These characteristics make the weapons disproportionately dangerous to the public based on their increased capacity for lethality."
Gun Rights Group Blasts the Ruling
However, the National Association for Gun Rights was displeased with the decision to deny their bid to bid the measure. The Independent reports that the gun rights group says the judge's ruling is "an outrageous slap in the face to law-abiding gun owners and the Constitution alike."
On top of that, the Colorado-based group further adds that the ruling is "extreme even for leftist courts." As WTNH reports, the National Association of Gun Rights challenged the 2013 gun law, asking Judge Arterton for a preliminary injunction. But given the recent ruling, the law remains in effect.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, defending the gun law, asserts that the measure is constitutional, contrary to the claims of the gun rights group.
ABC News notes that the 2013 gun law took effect roughly a decade after the tragic Sandy Hook shooting. The gunman took the innocent lives of at least 20 young minds and six teachers at the Newtown school in late 2012.
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