Good morning, Senator Winfield, Representative Stafstrom, and distinguished members of the Judiciary Committee.
My name is Erin Stewart, and I previously served as Mayor of the City of New Britain. I am here today to respectfully express my strong opposition to HB 5043 and HB 5436.
During my time as mayor, my administration worked closely with local law enforcement to address crime in our community. That experience taught me an important lesson: the individuals committing violent crimes are almost never the law-abiding gun owners who follow Connecticut’s already extensive firearm regulations. Yet these bills place the burden squarely on those responsible citizens.
HB 5043 would effectively ban a broad category of commonly owned semi-automatic pistols by labeling them “convertible.” These firearms are widely possessed by lawful gun owners for self-defense, sport shooting, and recreational use. Reclassifying them and restricting their transfer risks turning otherwise responsible residents into felons overnight for possessing firearms that were legally purchased and responsibly maintained.
HB 5436 is similarly concerning. By expanding the statutory definition of a firearm to include individual components—such as slides, barrels, and cylinders—the bill would impose strict serialization and transfer requirements on parts that have historically not been regulated as complete firearms. This change would create confusion for responsible owners and lawful retailers attempting to comply with Connecticut’s already complex firearm laws.
Taken together, these proposals would criminalize possession of certain newly defined firearms and components as a Class D felony beginning July 1, 2026. The practical result will not be improved public safety. Instead, it risks ensnaring otherwise law-abiding citizens in criminal liability while doing little to deter those who already ignore our laws.
Connecticut already maintains some of the strictest firearm regulations in the country. Before expanding criminal penalties further, we should focus our attention and resources on actually enforcing them. Public safety is a shared goal for all of us. However, legislation that broadly restricts commonly owned firearms and redefines basic components as regulated firearms will primarily affect responsible gun owners rather than those who pose a threat to our communities.
For these reasons, I respectfully urge the committee to reject HB 5043 and HB 5436.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Erin E. Stewart