Per a CCDL email.

HB6200 - Show Your Papers - Wednesday March 15th
Our 2nd Amendment and 4th Amendment rights are once again being threatened here in Connecticut. The Connecticut General Assembly’s Judiciary Committee has again raised a bill to declare ‘open season’ on those who lawfully carry firearms. They want to allow police to stop, detain and demand permit holders to identify themselves even if all they are doing is legally carrying a firearm.

This bill (should it become actual law) will force carry permit holders to produce their permits on demand if a police officer simply sees you carrying a firearm. They want to eliminate the current law which requires a police officer to have reasonable suspicion of a crime before they can stop a permit holder and investigate. It would also eliminate current protections against potential harassment and profiling. Law enforcement officers should not be allowed to stop and frisk law-abiding citizens who are not suspected of criminal activity.

While a public hearing has not yet publicly been announced, legislators who oppose your rights have apparently already leaked the date to antigun organizations to give them more time to prepare.

We are asking CCDL members to prepare to testify in person and to start emailing the Committee in opposition to this bill. This is the same day as our Legislative Breakfast (see below), so you can come for the breakfast, and stay to testify.

Please email the Committee and ask these legislators to OPPOSE H.B.6200.

Ask them to not allow police to stop and detain lawful residents without probable cause.

Please email written testimony in Word or PDF format to [email protected]

Important Note:
Police right now currently do have every right to ask individuals to produce and show a carry permit. They simply do not have the authority to demand it without someone acting in a suspicious manner. This is a very important distinction that protects your 4th amendment rights.

If you need suggestions on what to write, we've got some sample letters you can use for ideas. Click here: Sample Letters
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Here are some tips for providing testimony:

Introduce yourself (state your name and related bill) and indicate whether you support or oppose the bill, or are offering suggestions to improve it. Clearly explain your reasoning. It may be helpful to write your viewpoint out completely. Keep your remarks short, approximately three minutes. After your testimony ask if any Committee members have any questions.

If you have any questions email Ray Bevis, CCDL Legislative Coordinator at [email protected]

Thanks to all the open carry attention whores who challenge the police at every opportunity.

Not talking about open carry itself... talking about the assholes.

It was only a matter of time before they introduced legislation.

Why the fuck would you carry a gun in the first place. What are you trying to invite shootouts and make cops nervous? Just fucking stop. Fucking Rambo shootout fantasizing freaks. You have police for a reason. Chill. You technically don't even need guns.

No, we are talking about open carry.  Cops are upset people are able to challenge their authority and they never over react to the situation.

As long as some chiefs can't issue a permit within mandated time frame, how can we trust they wouldn't use this new power to harass gun owners in their towns?  It is really a power grab.

The bill would affect anyone who carries, open or concealed. If concealed, you print and that firearm is observed by law enforcement then they could demand your permit. The current language of the proposed committee bill:

Let us know if Dontrell and the other youtube commandos show up to testify.

Upcoming Public Hearing on Gun Bills
Wednesday March 15th

The Judiciary Committee will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, March 15, 2017 at 10:00 A.M in Room 2C of the Legislative Office Building (LOB), 300 Capitol Ave, Hartford. There will be two gun related bills, a reciprocity bill, and a show your papers bill. This is the same day as CCDL’s Legislative Breakfast. http://ccdl.us/aboutmenu/events-2/380-ccdl-s-legislative-breakfast-and-day-at-the-capitol
We need members to show up in force to show our support. The people opposed to your rights plan to be there in large numbers.

Members are encouraged to give oral testimony on both these bills. Speaking order will be determined by a lottery system. Lottery numbers will be drawn from 7:30 A.M. to 9:30 A.M. in Room 2500 of the LOB. Speakers arriving after the completion of the lottery will have their names placed at the end of the speaker list.

Please submit 50 copies of written testimony to the Committee staff no later than 9:30 A.M. in Room 2500 of the LOB. Testimony received after the designated time may not be distributed until after the hearing.

It is also very helpful to email your written testimony in Word or PDF format to [email protected] a day or two before the hearing. Many legislators prefer to read your testimony online.

Testimony should clearly state your name and bills you are testifying on. The Committee requests that testimony be limited to matters related to the items on the agenda. Speakers will be limited to three minutes of testimony.

If you are unable to attend, but would still like to have your voice heard on these issues, please email your written testimony in Word or PDF format to: [email protected]
Be sure to send a copy of your written testimony to your State Senator and State Representative.

Reciprocity:
Support: H.B.7259
AN ACT CONCERNING PERMIT AND CERTIFICATE TO CARRY A PISTOL OR REVOLVER RECIPROCITY
To secure permit, certificate or license reciprocity between Connecticut and other states that have substantially similar standards for carrying a pistol or revolver.

Anti-Gun groups will be there opposing your rights. Here are some claims they will make that pertain to this bill:
1: We cannot risk allowing gun owners to come in from states where we have no oversight of gun permitting and 24/7 access to out-of-state permit information.
2: Law enforcement would have no way to verify whether the permit was valid and whether the gun owner is carrying legally.

The fact is, this bill would simply allow Connecticut to enter into agreements with other states to allow law-abiding CT permit holders to legally visit other states while carrying a firearm for personal protection. Permit holders from other states who have undergone scrutiny and background checks similar to Connecticut's would be able to visit our state for business or tourism without having to give up their right to self-defense. This is similar to how the your drivers license in valid in other states.
Right now, Forty-two other states (84% of our country) already have some form of reciprocity.

Show Your Permit:
Oppose: H.B. No. 6200
AN ACT CONCERNING THE PRESENTATION OF A PERMIT TO CARRY A PISTOL OR REVOLVER.
To require individuals who carrying a pistol or revolver to produce their permit upon request of a law enforcement officer if the firearm is visible to such officer

This bill removes the “reasonable suspicion of a crime” from the current statues that just passed in 2015, and allows police to stop and detain a law-abiding citizen if they are observed carrying a holstered sidearm. This bill will force the over 250,000 carry permit holders to produce their permits on demand if a police officer simply sees them just carrying a holstered sidearm. This is not only violating the 2nd Amendment, the 4th Amendment but also SEC. 7. of the Connecticut State Constitution, which says: “people shall be secure in their persons, houses, papers and possessions from unreasonable searches or seizures;”

Some of the claims anti-gun groups will make:
1: Police must consider anyone who is carrying a holstered sidearm as potential threat until they can assess whether the individual is legally allowed to carry a firearm in public.
2: Law enforcement needs this authority to assure public safety and diffuse situations that the public find threatening.

Key facts to help your testimony:

This is a bill that simply profiles gun owners. This bill allows police to stop, seize, and question people for no other reason than doing something that is lawful.
Open carry is permitted in over 40 states, including Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and all other New England states.
Up until 2011, there were certain cities in CT where you could only open carry.
A person carrying a holstered handgun that may be seen, in and of itself should not be interpreted as a person that is dangerous.
Carrying a firearm that may be visible is legal. Just like driving a motor vehicle is. Both activities have the potential to be dangerous, both are heavily regulated, and require a permit/license to engage in.
A police officer cannot lawfully stop a motor vehicle just to determine whether that person is licensed. Therefore, a police officer should not be allowed to lawfully seize someone for merely observing them carrying a gun to determine whether that person has a pistol permit.
Handguns in CT cannot be sold or transferred to anyone without a permit. Therefore, police should not stop, seize, detain, question and vet the person because that has already been done at the point of sale.
If there is no reasonable suspicion of a crime, people should not be stopped.
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Here are some tips for providing testimony:
Introduce yourself (state your name and related bills) and indicate whether you support or oppose the bill. Clearly explain your reasoning. It may be helpful to write your viewpoint out completely. Keep your remarks short, approximately three minutes. After your testimony ask if any Committee members have any questions.  See here for more tips.

If you are unable to attend, but would still like to have your voice heard on these issues, please email your written testimony in Word or PDF format to: [email protected]
The Legislative Office Building is located at 300 Capitol Avenue, Hartford.

Please remember there are no weapons of any kind allowed inside the Capitol, Click here for the full list of prohibited items. (pdf)

Important weather information:
Please monitor weather conditions. There is a potential for a serious storm and the hearing could be rescheduled. CCDL will notify our members as soon as possible via email and social media if there is a cancellation.