Attorney General William Tong released the following statement regarding passage in the Connecticut General Assembly of House Bill No. 7042, An Act Concerning Implementation of the Firearm Industry Responsibility Act, to strengthen accountability for bad actors in the firearm industry. The legislation would permit the Office of the Attorney General to bring civil enforcement actions against gun manufacturers, distributors, marketers and retailers who fail to implement reasonable controls to prevent the sale of firearms to straw purchasers, firearm traffickers, individuals prohibited from possessing firearms under state or federal law or individuals the firearm industry member has reasonable cause to believe intend to use it for a crime or to cause harm to themselves or others. The bill also permits private citizens, or corporation counsels on behalf of municipalities, the right to bring suits for loss or injury as a result of a failure to implement those reasonable controls. “There is no legal immunity for reckless bad actors in the firearms industry who mislead and deceive or ignore our state’s strong gun safety laws. I am prepared to use the full weight of my civil enforcement authority to protect Connecticut families from gun violence." – AG Tong