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New laws fight gun violence through permitting process

 May 5, 2013; Updated: 1:07 pm

In the five years before the Sandy Hook tragedy, few pistol permit applications - about 1 in 1,000 - were denied. The question is whether expanded requirements will change that substantially.

Thousands of bikers expected to ride into Newtown

 May 4, 2013; Updated: 12:53 pm

Thousands of bikers plan to ride through Newtown this weekend to raise money for those affected by December's shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School.

State sees shortage of beds as more children sent for psychiatric care

 May 4, 2013; Updated: 5:24 pm

Since the Sandy Hook tragedy, more parents and teachers are sending their children to psychiatric hospitals, and the increased numbers have created a shortage of hospital beds, mental health professionals say.

Blumenthal, Murphy say fight for gun control bill not over yet

 April 26, 2013; Updated: 11:54 pm

U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy said Friday that the “Connecticut effect” is alive and well despite the fact that an initial attempt to strengthen federal gun controls was defeated in the U.S. Senate.

Newtown budget rejected with extra school security provision

 April 24, 2013; Updated: 12:36 pm

Newtown, Conn., residents have rejected a budget that included money for extra school security in the wake of the December school shootings.

Providers say mental health services to suffer if state cuts enacted

 April 13, 2013; Updated: 12:19 am

Mental health experts who spoke before the governor’s Sandy Hook Advisory Commission on Friday said they oppose the governor’s proposed $63 million cut to mental health services in 2014 and 2015.

VIDEO: Newtown mother gives Saturday radio address

 April 13, 2013; Updated: 2:09 pm

The mother of a 6-year-old boy killed in the Connecticut school shooting used the opportunity to fill in for President Barack Obama during the weekly radio and Internet address to make a personal plea from the White House for action to combat gun...

Gun measure wins chance for Senate debate

 April 12, 2013; Updated: 11:42 pm

Washington - Pressed by shooting victims and relatives of Americans slain in gun violence, the Senate on Thursday voted to begin an emotionally and politically charged debate on gun safety proposals as advocates of new laws overcame a...

Murphy blasts NRA in first floor speech as senator

 April 11, 2013; Updated: 12:04 am

Connecticut’s freshman U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy gave an impassioned speech from the floor of the Senate Wednesday, calling for support of gun control legislation in the wake of the Dec. 14 Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy.

Obama praises Connecticut's gun-control efforts

 April 8, 2013; Updated: 12:06 am

In another effort to move national gun control legislation forward in Congress, President Barack Obama spoke with family members of Newtown victims and students and guests who filled the bleachers in the University of Hartford gym Monday.

Officials: State gun law unlikely to persuade Congress

 April 7, 2013; Updated: 12:22 am

While President Obama is scheduled to hold a gun-reform rally Monday in West Hartford, most believe that - regardless of Connecticut's legislation - the deck is already stacked against a deeply divided Congress passing anything similar.

Newtown father honors daughter at Rangers ceremonial 1st pitch

 April 5, 2013; Updated: 6:49 pm

A few months ago, Robbie Parker never would have imagined crying on the shoulder of one of his boyhood heroes. But a lot has happened since December and here he was, throwing out the ceremonial first pitch in honor of his 6-year-old daughter,...

Senate OKs gun bill; House debate continues late into the night

 April 4, 2013; Updated: 9:51 am

After a six-hour debate on the gun control, mental health and school safety bill Wednesday, the state Senate voted 26-10 in favor of the bill and sent it to the House. By 11:50 p.m., four of southeastern Connecticut's representatives said they were...

Malloy praises gun, safety bills package

 April 2, 2013; Updated: 10:05 am

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said he would sign the comprehensive bill on gun control, mental health services and school security as soon as the legislation get it to him.

Bipartisan gun control bill unveiled in Hartford

 April 2, 2013; Updated: 3:41 pm

With bipartisan consensus, legislative leaders put forth a bill Monday that requires universal background checks, expands Connecticut’s assault weapons ban and bans the sale of large capacity magazine with more than 10 rounds.

Outright ban of high-capacity ammunition magazines is still governor's preference

 March 27, 2013; Updated: 11:29 pm

When asked whether he would accept a grandfather clause for high-capacity magazines, as he said he could for assault weapons, the governor said, "I am not going to change my position that a ban would be best; however, I would look at the legislation...

Bill to require state gun owners to buy insurance finds few friends at hearing

 March 20, 2013; Updated: 12:21 am

The deadly force of a gun should be treated like the deadly force of a car, contends state Sen. Beth Bye, D-Hartford.

Sandy Hook panel has 42 recommendations on gun and school security laws

 March 19, 2013; Updated: 5:00 pm

The governor's Sandy Hook Advisory Commission submitted a list of 42 recommendations to him on Monday to strengthen the state's gun and school security laws.

Malloy panel backs expanded gun ban

 March 16, 2013; Updated: 12:22 am

The governor's commission on the Newtown school shooting made one of the farthest reaching recommendations in the gun debate so far, suggesting Friday that the state ban all semi-automatic weapons that can fire more than 10 rounds.

Gun advocates go to capital to oppose pending legislation

 March 15, 2013; Updated: 8:54 am

Those against stricter gun control measures turned out in force Thursday to speak out against Senate Bill 1076 and other legislation before the General Assembly's Public Safety and Security Committee.

Bipartisan approach may be cause of gun control delays

 March 14, 2013; Updated: 12:25 am

Democratic and Republican legislative leaders have been meeting for four days but haven’t yet come to an agreement on gun control issues proposed by the legislature’s Bipartisan Task Force on Gun Violence Prevention and Children’s...

Blumenthal meets Newtown cyclists with news of background check law

 March 12, 2013; Updated: 7:00 pm

The cold, wet and shivering cyclists of Team 26 ended their four-day ride from Newtown, Conn., on Tuesday to learn the news regarding their campaign for tougher firearms laws: A key Senate panel had just approved universal background checks on all...

New fund aims to help Sandy Hook survivors

 March 12, 2013; Updated: 12:06 am

Those who might qualify for assistance include employees of Sandy Hook Elementary School at the time of the shooting and those who were involved in the emergency response and have suffered from a mental health issue as a result.

Panel to call for changes in state gun laws

 March 9, 2013; Updated: 11:23 pm

The Sandy Hook Advisory Commission is planning, among other things, to recommend prohibiting the sale or possession of any firearm capable of firing more than 10 rounds of ammunition without reloading.

26 Conn. cyclists ride to Washington with gun violence message

 March 9, 2013; Updated: 12:46 pm

They are biking from Newtown to Washington to send a message.

Legislators begin to focus on mental health, gun violence link

 February 28, 2013; Updated: 12:47 am

Once again, two months after the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School, a community is dealing with deadly gun violence that may be related to mental illness.

State lawmakers target violent video games in wake of Newtown shootings

 February 27, 2013; Updated: 1:25 pm

A person 17 years old or younger might not be able to walk into a local arcade and pick up an imitation gun and shoot at “simulated human beings” if Senate Bill 328 is passed by the legislature and signed by the governor.

Malloy accused of jumping the gun on new weapons laws

 February 25, 2013; Updated: 12:08 am

Some state legislators are upset that Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has proposed his own gun control legislation before they have finalized their recommendations.\n

State mulls withholding death certificates

 February 23, 2013; Updated: 11:29 pm

Hartford - A town clerk told state legislators Friday that she's been inundated with requests for copies of death certificates of Newtown school shooting victims and believes much of that information should remain private.

Town Clerk...

Sandy Hook commission focuses on improving state response to tragedy

 February 23, 2013; Updated: 11:43 pm

Commissioners of various state agencies met with Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s Sandy Hook Advisory Commission Friday to discuss how the state could better respond in the aftermath of the Newtown tragedy.

Biden to talk gun policy at Danbury forum

 February 20, 2013; Updated: 12:51 pm

Vice president Joe Biden and members of the Connecticut delegation will discuss the federal response to gun violence from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury.

State's school safety recommendations lack funding

 February 20, 2013; Updated: 12:05 am

Members of the School Safety and Mental Health Services working groups said Tuesday that they weren’t sure how the state would help fund more counselors and mental health professionals at schools.

Newtown families form bonds with troopers that go beyond official duties

 February 20, 2013; Updated: 11:42 pm

Hartford - As the family of slain Sandy Hook school psychologist Mary Sherlach mourned her death, Trooper Orlando "Lonny" Mo was the one who brought back her car and personal belongings. He escorted her husband and daughters to a meeting...

Boston hockey team latest to visit Newtown Monday

 February 16, 2013; Updated: 1:28 pm

The Boston Bruins plan to become the latest ambassadors from the world of sports to visit Newtown in the wake of December's massacre at the Sandy Hook Elementary school.

Families of Sandy Hook educators honored with Presidential Citizens Medal

 February 15, 2013; Updated: 6:15 pm

One by one, Obama read the names of the six educators receiving the Presidential Citizens Medal, saying they had no idea when they woke up on a chilly December morning of the sacrifice they would soon make for their communities.

Consensus building around improving school security

 February 14, 2013; Updated: 12:18 pm

State lawmakers in the School Safety Working Group are beginning to reach consensus on how to protect schoolchildren in the wake of the Newtown shootings.

Blumenthal takes Newtown first selectwoman to State of the Union

 February 12, 2013; Updated: 12:22 am

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., selected Newtown First Selectwoman Pat Llodra to be his guest at Tuesday's State of the Union address.

Gunmakers questioned on marketing to the young

 February 5, 2013; Updated: 11:55 pm

At a second informational hearing for the legislature’s Gun Violence Prevention Working Group on Monday, legislators questioned gun manufacturers about marketing to youth and said there was growing consensus on improving background checks.

Most in Newtown crowd favor gun control

 January 31, 2013; Updated: 5:10 pm

Newtown officials, parents of Newtown victims and parents of Newtown survivors took the lead at the legislature’s final scheduled Bipartisan Task Force on Gun Violence Prevention and Children’s Safety hearing Wednesday at Newtown High...

Newtown families offer contrasting ideas on gun safety in Hartford

 January 28, 2013; Updated: 2:21 pm

The legislature's gun violence prevention subcommittee meeting on Monday left family members of the victims of Newtown's Sandy Hook shootings divided.

Mental health is complex issue for state's Sandy Hook panel

 January 24, 2013; Updated: 12:15 am

School safety and gun control will likely be addressed early on by the governor's Sandy Hook Advisory Commission. Mental health issues, however, are more complex and will require more time.

Legislators set hearings on gun violence, school safety, mental health

 January 19, 2013; Updated: 12:03 am

Each of the three subcommittees within the state's Gun Violence and Children's Safety Task Force will hold a public hearing in January. There will also be one combined public hearing for all three subcommittees on Jan. 30 at Newtown High School.

Gun makers, clubs add voices to debate over gun violence

 January 17, 2013; Updated: 12:16 am

Local gun manufacturers and sportsmen's clubs are starting to speak out after holding their tongues initially in the wake of the Newtown shootings.

General Assembly creates its own gun-violence task force

 January 15, 2013; Updated: 3:23 pm

Connecticut lawmakers on Tuesday joined the race to prevent another Newtown shooting by creating a Gun Violence Prevention and Children's Safety Task Force.

NY passes first U.S. gun control law since massacre

 January 15, 2013; Updated: 6:19 pm

Jumping out ahead of Washington, New York state enacted the nation's toughest gun restrictions Tuesday and the first since the Connecticut school massacre, including an expanded assault-weapon ban and background checks for buying ammunition.

Newtown group: Biden offers to speak with families

 January 12, 2013; Updated: 1:19 pm

A Newtown group says Vice President Joe Biden has offered to talk with any families of the school shooting victims who would like to speak with him personally.

Former U.S. Rep. Giffords visits Newtown

 January 4, 2013; Updated: 11:50 pm

The former Arizona congresswoman met Friday with the Newtown first selectman, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman. She was accompanied by her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly.

Newtown asks for an end to donations

 December 27, 2012; Updated: 11:53 pm

Officials in Newtown are asking that no additional donations be sent of such items as teddy bears, food, clothes, school supplies, blankets, toys, letters, cards, candles and artwork, according to an email from John Voket, associate editor of The...

Newtown celebrates Christmas and remembers victims

 December 25, 2012; Updated: 4:01 pm

Newtown (AP) — Newtown celebrated Christmas amid piles of snow-covered teddy bears, long lines of stockings and heaps of flowers as volunteers manned a 24-hour candlelight vigil in memory of the 20 children and six...

Gun-control bills readied for General Assembly session

 December 20, 2012; Updated: 11:50 pm

A series of proposals to limit access to high-capacity weapons, assault weapons and ammunition will be introduced at the 2013 legislative session. State Sen. Beth Bye, D-West Hartford, and state Rep. Bob Godfrey, D-Danbury, have spearheaded the...

Funeral homes donating services

 December 20, 2012; Updated: 12:27 am

For Waterford resident Pasquale Folino, who mobilized efforts to provide free funeral services for the 26 killed last week at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, the hard part has been wrapping his head around the magnitude of the tragedy.

Mourners travel far to gather around Christmas tree memorials in Newtown

 December 19, 2012; Updated: 10:23 pm

As more victims from the slaughter of 20 children and six adults were laid to rest, long funeral processions clogged the streets of Newtown, where Christmas trees were turned into memorials and a season that should be a time of joy was marked by...

Obama sets January deadline for gun proposals

 December 19, 2012; Updated: 8:58 pm

Spurred by a horrific elementary school shooting, President Barack Obama vowed to send Congress new policy proposals for reducing gun violence by January.

Shooting renews argument over video-game violence

 December 19, 2012; Updated: 12:20 pm

In the days since the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, a shell-shocked nation has looked for reasons. The list of culprits include easy access to guns, a strained mental-health system and the entertainment industry's embrace of...

Obama to press for policy changes after shooting

 December 19, 2012; Updated: 12:03 am

President Barack Obama is launching an administration-wide effort to curb gun violence, underscoring the growing political consensus over tightening gun restrictions following the horrific massacre at a Connecticut elementary school.

Connecticut officials warn about possible Newtown charity scams

 December 19, 2012; Updated: 2:15 pm

Connecticut officials are warning state residents about possible charity scams seeking to exploit the elementary school shootings in Newtown.

Shooting may drive lawmakers' agenda in Hartford

 December 19, 2012; Updated: 1:33 pm

State legislators say they are ready to address gun violence, mental health services and school safety in the wake of the massacre in Newtown.

State's U.S. senators call for ban on assault weapons

 December 19, 2012; Updated: 12:00 am

Connecticut's two senators took to the Senate floor Tuesday to call for a ban on assault weapons.

Medical examiner seeks genetic clues to shooter

 December 19, 2012; Updated: 7:59 am

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut's chief medical examiner says he's seeking genetic clues to help explain why a shooter killed 20 children and six adults in a Newtown elementary school.

Cerberus to sell gun company that makes Bushmaster

 December 18, 2012; Updated: 3:20 pm

The company that makes one of the weapons used to kill elementary school children in Connecticut is being put up for sale by its owner, which called Friday's tragedy a "watershed event" in the debate over gun control.

Early signs suggest Newtown massacre may have impact on gun laws

 December 18, 2012; Updated: 12:38 pm

Many Democrats, including President Barack Obama, who for years have been reluctant to speak out for tougher gun laws, aren't holding back.

Pro-gun Democrats signal openness to new restrictions

 December 18, 2012; Updated: 10:52 am

WASHINGTON — Demonstrating rapidly shifting attitudes toward gun control in the aftermath of a massacre in a Connecticut school, many pro-gun congressional Democrats — including Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader...

Classes resuming in Newtown, minus Sandy Hook

 December 18, 2012; Updated: 12:02 pm

With security stepped up and families still on edge in Newtown, schools are opening for the first time since last week's massacre, bringing a return of familiar routines — at least, for some — to a grief-stricken town as it buries 20 of...

Murphy: Newtown shooting changes his plans in Senate

 December 18, 2012; Updated: 5:12 pm

U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy says the deadly shooting in Newtown has changed his plans as Connecticut's newest U.S. senator.

Some Republicans say gun control should be debated

 December 18, 2012; Updated: 1:20 pm

Some Republicans now say they're willing to discuss the politically treacherous issue of gun control along with mental health issues and violent video games, while formerly pro-gun Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says it's time to place gun...

First of 8 funerals at Newtown church begins

 December 18, 2012; Updated: 7:14 pm

Newtown - Family members have gathered for the first of eight funerals for school shooting victims to be held at a Catholic church in Newtown, Conn.

Bomb threat at church service disrupts Newtown’s grieving

 December 17, 2012; Updated: 12:24 am

With the raw horror of Friday’s school massacre still haunting their minds, hundreds of traumatized residents sought solace and comfort at St. Rose of Lima Church Sunday — only to be terrorized once again by a heartless lunatic calling...

First of shooting victims laid to rest

 December 17, 2012; Updated: 3:00 pm

Dozens huddled around chairs under tents at a gravesite in Newtown Village Cemetery, where a hearse brought the casket bearing the body of first-grader Jack Pinto, one of 20 who perished in the massacre.

Lieberman among Democratic senators calling for ban on assault weapons

 December 17, 2012; Updated: 12:26 am

Washington — Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman and other Democratic lawmakers said Sunday that military-style assault weapons should be banned and that a national commission should be...

Obama: Nation isn't doing enough to protect children

 December 16, 2012; Updated: 7:11 pm

A mournful president said that the nation is failing to keep its children safe, pledging that change must come after an elementary-school massacre left 20 children dead. "What choice do we have?" Obama said. "Are we really prepared to say that we're...

Malloy: Gunman shot self as first responders closed in

 December 16, 2012; Updated: 9:21 pm

The gunman in the Connecticut shooting rampage committed suicide as first responders closed in, the governor said Sunday, raising the specter that Adam Lanza had planned an even more gruesome massacre and was stopped short.

UPDATED: Worshippers flee Newtown Catholic church following threat report

 December 16, 2012; Updated: 6:28 pm

St. Rose of Lima Church was evacuated Sunday during its noon Mass after the church received a threatening phone call. A monsignor at the church told a digital television network Ora.TV that a man had called and said, "I’m coming to kill,...

'Always smiling': Portraits of some Sandy Hook victims

 December 16, 2012; Updated: 10:35 am

Most died at the very start of their young lives, tiny victims taken in a way not fit no matter one's age. Others found their life's work in sheltering these little ones, teaching them, caring for them, treating them as their own.

Newtown gunman had hundreds of ammunition rounds

 December 16, 2012; Updated: 7:12 pm

The gunman in the Connecticut shooting rampage was carrying an arsenal of hundreds of rounds of especially deadly ammunition — enough to kill just about every student in the school if given enough time, authorities said Sunday, raising the...

Shock has not worn off in Newtown

 December 16, 2012; Updated: 11:56 pm

“I think it's particularly hard because it happened around Christmas,” said Erin Mahoney, who came from Glastonbury to pay her respects and said she broke down after first witnessing the scene. “Twenty kids – it's...