HARTFORD, CT — The Connecticut House of Representatives has passed a bill that could expose gun manufacturers and sellers to civil lawsuits under state law, advancing House Bill 7042 by a 100-46 vote.
The measure now heads to the Senate.
The legislation, titled An Act Concerning Implementation of the Firearm Industry Responsibility Act, mandates that firearm industry members adopt and enforce “reasonable controls” to stop the sale or distribution of guns and related items to straw purchasers and others prohibited from ownership.
It also places limits on how the industry advertises its products, particularly when ads promote illegal use or create an unreasonable risk to public safety.
The bill grants legal standing to individuals harmed by violations, as well as municipalities and the state, to bring civil suits against manufacturers, distributors, and other entities in the firearm supply chain.
State Rep. Steve Stafstrom, D-Bridgeport, co-chair of the Judiciary Committee, said the bill is aimed at creating “a cause of action to bring against firearms industry members who engage in actions that are in violation of state or federal laws or engage in marketing their products in a way that causes substantial risk to the public.”
Stafstrom referenced the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) — a federal statute that generally shields the firearm industry from liability — noting that it does permit states to pass their own laws to allow certain lawsuits.
“The legislation was necessary due to PLCAA,” he said during the two-hour debate.
Opponents in the House, including Rep. Craig Fishbein, R-Wallingford, the ranking Republican member of the Judiciary Committee, raised objections to the bill’s focus.
Fishbein questioned why only the firearm industry was being singled out for liability under the proposed legal framework.
State Rep. Doug Dubitsky, R-Chaplin, argued the bill intrudes on a constitutionally protected area.
“The U.S. Constitution provides special protections for the gun industry that it does not for others,” he said, asserting that the right to own firearms implicitly includes the right to manufacture them.
The bill’s advancement marks a notable move by Connecticut lawmakers to test the boundaries of federal immunity protections.
If signed into law, it would establish a direct path for lawsuits tied to negligent sales or hazardous marketing practices by members of the gun industry operating in the state.
