Law would require all firearms locked

The General Assembly’s powerful Judiciary Committee next week will return to the controversial issue of gun safety, when it considers legislation that would force all gun owners to lock their weapons.

Current law mandates that gun owners secure loaded weapons in homes where there are minors or people ineligible to possess weapons.

The bill, which will be the subject of a public hearing on Wednesday, March 11 at 10:30 in Room 2-E of the Legislative Office Building, would cover both loaded and unloaded guns. It also includes a provision that would require those who firearms and ammunition were seized, submit to a court hearing at least 14 days before the date that the weapons would be scheduled to be returned.

“At such hearing, the person shall have the burden of showing that he or she no longer poses a risk of imminent personal injury to himself or herself or to other individuals by a preponderance of the evidence,” says a draft version of the bill. If rejected after the hearing, the firearms and ammunition would be held for another year.