To The Editor:

It’s 3 am on June 3, 2023. Do you know where your State Senator is? If it’s Tony Hwang, he was voting to weaken Connecticut’s gun laws.

Don’t believe me? You can see it on-demand on the Connecticut Network. Democrats were trying to pass House Bill 6667, “An Act Addressing Gun Violence.” This bill took steps to strengthen our state’s gun laws. It banned open carry of firearms, banned ghost guns, took steps to limit straw purchases of handguns and made sure people who break gun laws in our state receive appropriate punishment.

Tony Hwang voted with his party 15 times over the course of seven hours — staying up until 4 am — to try and gut this bill. Republicans filed amendments to the bill that would have weakened storage laws and let children access firearms more easily. Tony Hwang voted for that. He voted to create a loophole around background checks, making it easier for criminals to get guns. Tony Hwang tells you he voted for House Bill 6667, but that was only after voting with his party 15 times to weaken gun safety.

We know the horrors of gun violence here. We’ve spent many sleepless nights worrying about gun violence, reliving nightmares and horrors no one should ever have to experience. And while we lose sleep trying to keep our children safe, Tony Hwang is staying up so he can try to make it easier for our children and criminals to get their hands on guns.

We deserve better than that! I’m voting for Rob Blanchard because he’ll do what’s best for us, what will protect our children, not just what his party tells him to do. Please join me in voting for Rob Blanchard for State Senator.

Ed Randall

Newtown