Rep. William Tong introduced the measure with the goal of reducing violence against women and children.
The Connecticut House has passed a bill late Wednesday night that would prohibit anyone with a temporary restraining order against them from possessing firearms. It now heads to the Senate for consideration.
The bill, which is expected to generate a lengthy debate over gun rights, would require a person to transfer firearms to police or a firearms dealer within 24 hours after being served with a temporary restraining order. The weapons would be returned if a judge determined at an expedited hearing not to impose a formal restraining order.
Rep. William Tong, the co-chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said he introduced the measure with the goal of reducing violence against women and children. The Stamford Democrat called it "a common-sense answer to a problem that has claimed too many lives."
Tong said the bill isn't about guns, gun control, or gun confiscation: it's about creating a legal system that "protects and values the lives of women."
Democratic governor Dannel Malloy later praised the passage of the bill.