Community Corner

Pro-Gun Rally Planned For Hartford This Weekend

The group Connecticut Citizens Defense League is planning the rally for Saturday afternoon to protest Connecticut's new gun laws.

This article was written by Eileen McNamara.

One of the groups vowing a court battle to overturn Connecticut's new gun laws will host a rally Saturday afternoon in Hartford to protest the new measures. 

The Connecticut Citizens Defense League will rally on the grounds of the state Capitol from noon to 3 p.m., the New Haven Register reports. While the rally is intended to protest the new gun laws the legislature passed about 10 days ago, the rally, the Register reports, was planned prior to the enactment of the new laws. 

CCDL is also planning to join a lawsuit, brought by the National Rifle Association and the Connecticut Coalition of Sportsmen challenging the package of gun laws.

“We expect people who own guns and use them for lawful purposes to show and be counted," the Register quotes Scott Wilson, president of the CCDL. "The majority of us feel wronged by the new law and also how it was passed. We are not going away, and we are not going to surrender our rights as though we have no recourse. We will use the judicial process to correct the injustice, and we will use the judicial process to correct this injustice, and we will politically challenge the legislators that voted for it,” 

On his blog, Wilson says those considering attending the rally can bring guns. 

"OPEN CARRY is fine," he wrote. "Well, as long as the firearm adheres to the new draconian laws that no one can figure out."

"Remember that the CCDL supports all legal uses of a firearm," Wilson adds on his post. "I will be open carrying. many will. Some of us open carry in our daily lives. So please refrain from any political strategy talk about open carry on this post.

"This is a family friendly Rally. I will have one of my children, and we expect to see many children. This affects them in every way. So please consider not using profanity on any signs. I am not personally a fan of Malloy, and many others. I’m with you on the anger and upsetting offense that we all feel. But please keep it clean."

He reminded gun advocates that while guns can be brought to the Capitol, they can't be taken inside the State House or into nearby Bushnell Park. 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here