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Before she read the ordinance, which is to be posted Friday on the town’s website, Selectman Dennis Tracey explained a few of its principles. “No person shall discharge an assault weapon in Weston,” he said, and no one under 16 can fire a gun in Weston, except for target practice, which is authorized for 12- to 16-year-olds.
There will also be restrictions on target practice. The ordinance was revised after the board's Jan. 17 meeting.
Selectman David Muller offered some comments on the goal of the selectmen in getting an ordinance passed. “In no way is it a ‘seize your gun’ document,” he said. “It brings Weston’s current gun ordinance into the 21st century.”
Muller also shunned citizen comments that there is no gun problem in Weston. “The towns where mass killings occurred didn’t have gun problems previously, and it would be negligent on our part not to act,” he said.
He also said there have been 1,624 gun deaths in the United States since Newtown, “which is a tragedy that must be addressed, and these are good steps we are taking.”
State Sen. Toni Boucher (R-Wilton), co-chair of the Connecticut General Assembly task force on school security, complimented the town on its effort.
“What you’re doing is valuable, and it’s important to set guidelines,” she said. “Local regulations will be superseded by state and federal law, and it’s more likely state requirements will change first.”
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