McKinney Backs Gun Law In GOP Debate
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) _ Senate Minority Leader John McKinney set himself apart Friday from most of his rivals for the Republican nomination for Connecticut governor by defending the wide-ranging gun control bill that was passed last year following the Newtown school massacre, a likely hot topic in this year’s gubernatorial election.
McKinney, a Fairfield lawmaker whose district includes Newtown, said he felt the need to represent the interests of his district. But McKinney said he also understood the General Assembly’s Democrats had enough votes to pass whatever they wanted, with or without input from the legislature’s minority Republicans.
“It wasn’t a matter of whether they were going to pass a bill. It was what the bill was going to look like,” McKinney said during a debate among five of the six Republican candidates hoping to challenge Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy in November. By making the gun control bill bipartisan, McKinney said Republican lawmakers took a leadership role by not sitting on the sidelines and helped to craft a product that was “better for the state of Connecticut.”
But McKinney’s rivals criticized the final product, which has sparked outrage among many gun owners in Connecticut, who, according to Avon attorney and GOP candidate Martha Dean, are registering to vote in large numbers this year.
http://connecticut.cbslocal.com/2014/04/11/mckinney-backs-gun-law-in-gop-debate/
