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NORWALK Gun owners and non-gun owners alike are taking issue with a new proposal that would ban the weapons on city properties, with some arguing the rule would infringe on their constitutional rights.

According to Common Council Ordinance Committee Chair Lisa Shanahan, the group received over 250 emails prior to its Tuesday meeting with feedback on the committees look at city gun ordinances, which could include a proposed ban from carrying in city buildings.

Despite the outcry over the proposal, Shanahan said the committee is continuing to research and discuss the issue. A vote on the item was tabled after over two hours of comments and discussions.

Over a dozen people both gun owners and non-gun owners spoke at Tuesdays meeting against the proposed ban. Concerns ranged from the potential of the ordinance to make criminals out of legal gun owners to the proposal contradicting the Second Amendment, which protects the right of citizens to keep and bear arms.

This is a huge infringement on the Second Amendment rights, said Norwalk resident Mallory Stevens. Given the current climate, this is an overstep of the government on our personal choices. I havent seen someone whos law-abiding cause a problem. ... Its about keeping our constitutional rights and you guys not infringing on that.

Norwalks ordinance would apparently be allowed by Connecticut state law, which states the issuance of any permit to carry a pistol or revolver does not thereby authorize the possession or carrying of a pistol or revolver in any premises where the possession or carrying of a pistol or revolver is otherwise prohibited by law or is prohibited by the person who owns or exercises control over such premises.

Permitting laws do not distinguish between concealed and open carry.

Several committee members revealed they have gun permits and could be affected by this proposal.

People that have the most to lose are responsible already. Thats why we received so much outcry, said committee member Manny Langella, who added he has a gun permit and grew up hunting. Theres a balance between public safety and a right to carry a legal firearm. Its hard for me to support this change when the police chief has validated theres little to no complaint.

Langella said he was particularly concerned about what penalties would be in put in place for people who violate the potential ordinance. The committee has not settled on this yet, but said they would look at other towns for guidance, though Langella said he was cautious about doing so.

I dont think all towns are created equal, Langella said. This is one of the most difficult things to look to other towns for guidance. Where I grew up, people hunt as a way of living. ... Theres a delicacy we have to look at here. The right thing to do is for us to table this, do more research and go through public comments.

In addition to concerns about penalties, many speakers said they were worried about how the proposal would affect their ability to protect themselves; this was particularly a concern for people of color who said they are concerned about the potential of a bigoted attack.

Norwalk resident Peter Choi, a licensed gun carrier, said he has been attacked verbally for being Asian-American and carries to protect himself.

Verbal harassment can quickly elevate to physical harassment and, as a result, I consider concealed carry critical in maintaining safety of myself and loved ones, he said. I fear this proposal will primarily punish responsible, law-abiding citizens such as myself.

Committee member David Heuvelman said he grew up with guns, but has his doubts that private citizens who carry are trained to adequately respond in a dangerous situation. Heuvelman, who has a gun permit, added he was concerned about how guns can escalate situations in a public setting.

Im a concealed-carry holder and I would never think to carry in a city park, Heuvelman said. It made me stop and think about when I come around the corner and someone perceives my dog as an animal threat, could that potentially spark a situation? ... I want to make sure were doing this the right way and serving everyone.

One speaker Tuesday was in favor of the ordinance, and Ordinance Committee Chair Lisa Shanahan said many more emailed expressing support. She also clarified the ordinance would only affect city buildings, not streets, sidewalks or parking garages. And the discussion will continue after Tuesday night.

We recognize we have further work to do on this ordinance and further research to do, Shanahan said. The intent is to make city premises workplace gun-free zones. We tried to make it as clear as possible what buildings are covered by this. Theres been a lot of misunderstanding and I want to be very clear on what this will and wont address.

Committee member Tom Livingston, who grew up trap shooting, added there are exceptions to the Second Amendment and many legislative bodies, including Congress, do not allow guns where they gather. By creating the ordinance, city buildings such as the library and the senior center, would be covered, he said, and signage would make it so law-abiding citizens would not mistakenly violate the ordinance when entering these places.

He added that he felt it was better to enact such a rule now before there is a problem and its too late.

erin.kayata@hearstmediact.com

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'A huge infringement': Norwalk to do further research after community feedback on proposed gun ban - CT Insider

This is the final story in a series looking at the creation and development of Derbys STAR bond district.

Developer Rick Worner of National Realty Advisers has had his hand in a number of STAR bond projects not just Derbys.

Worner was involved in one of the first STAR bond projects in the state the Kansas Speedway in Kansas City and currently has his hands in a few in the Wichita area. With Derby, he noted he looks at current national and global trends to help decide what can further be added to the STAR bond district.

For example, Worner mentioned aquariums (which are not actually allowed to be developed as STAR bond projects). If an aquarium opened in London or Atlanta and was drawing hundreds of thousands of people, he said he would dig deeper into its development potential in Derby.

As I find other family friendly attractions that opened somewhere else and are doing extremely well, Worner said, I will think about, hey, is this a right fit for Derby? and if it is Ill take the idea to staff, or sometimes staff and the city council, and say, hey, what do you think of this?

Sometimes those ideas will work for Derby and sometimes they wont. One idea Worner highlighted that did not fit Derby was a wax museum noting those attractions have to be in areas with high foot traffic (i.e., Times Square in New York City, London, etc.). However, when he saw the original Field Stations: Dinosaurs in New Jersey Worner thought it would be perfect in Derby.

While Worner admitted he likes all the ideas he brings before the city, ultimately it lies with staff and the Derby City Council to decide what fits best locally. City Manager Kathy Sexton noted, though, that they have been pretty open to any and all possibilities.

I think its fair to say weve listened to all of them and are open to all of those, Sexton said. A small percentage of them work out, but you also have to be open to listening to ideas and thinking about whats next.

Currently, Worner said he has three general feasibility studies in the works for future attractions. Typically, he said he will study four to five ideas and a couple will come back with numbers that work for Derby with Worner then presenting those ideas to the city.

At the moment, Worner does not have the results back from the current feasibility studies and noted he likely will not present the next potential addition to the STAR bond district until the current attractions are well under construction (or even completed).

Derby pushed for the second amendment to the STAR bond project (the rock climbing facility) this year based on the projected deadline for such projects. That has since changed, though, and Sexton said it is expected to be extended in the next legislative session.

Given that expanding window, Worner said both retail and additional tourist attractions are something he hopes are in the future for Derbys STAR bond district. Just what that is exactly depends a lot on the market and the factors of both local and visitor traffic with growing numbers leading to more development opportunities.

I cant tell you the number of cities that want an Olive Garden that Derby already has, Worner said, but they cant get an Olive Garden because they dont have enough residential population and they dont have enough visitation population.

COVID has thrown development for a loop this year, Worner noted, having cancelled the 2020 International Conference of Shopping Centers. Worner noted he normally goes to that and presents Derbys demographics to a number of restaurant, retail and hotel companies to see if the city would be an ideal location for expansion. The cancellation of such conventions has led to a down year in development.

Long-term ramifications of the pandemic are still uncertain as well, but Worner continues to seek out numerous opportunities to develop the Derby STAR bond district. He said it is important to also remember that is not an overnight process.

Everybody wants a STAR bond district to turn into The Legends in KCK, but what everybody forgets is that took years and years and years. Were still at the early stage of the Derby STAR bond district, Worner said. I continue to look for attractions and development that would build traffic.

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Derby STAR bond still in its formative years - The Derby Informer

To the editor:

Joe Bidens Gun Control Policy/Will Biden Take Away Your Guns? That is the name of a YouTube video, wherein the guy has the information from Bidens website right in front of him, and he pragmatically talks about it to explain what each of Bidens gun control points would mean in actuality.

This whole thing with guns and the Second Amendment reminds me of when there was a push to get the Equal Rights Amendment passed, which on the surface sounded good. But in actual interpretation, one thing the ERA would have meant is that women would be required to fight in combat alongside the men, in a war. (And yes, I know, nowadays some women wish to do this). But my point is that even though the ERA didnt pass, the people who wanted it to pass have brought about their desires in other ways. I compare this to what Biden/Harris want to do with our gun rights, and I think the guys reasoning in this video is sound about how we WOULD lose most of our gun rights.

One thing to remember too, is that the lawless will always have the guns that we wont have if Biden/Harris get their way, which would leave us very vulnerable in our homes.

I so appreciated the article by Kate Anderson about the rule of law, which was followed by an article by Debbie Mays about chasing leprechauns, criticizing what Kate had said about gun control however, my guess is that even though Kate worded it as losing our Second Amendment, she probably in actuality meant what the YouTube video explains.

Diana Larsen

Hyrum

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More about Biden and the Second Amendment | Letters to the Editor - The Herald Journal

When it came to her final word at the Miss USA pageant, Asya Branch was asked to speak on gun laws. And she wasn't afraid to state her support for the Second Amendment.

"I think it's important that we not ban guns because, obviously, people will find a way to get what they want anyway," Branch, who represented Mississippi, said onstage as she stood among the final five contestants on Monday night. "But I think it's our Second Amendment right, and I think we just need more safety surrounding that."

Branch's words caught the attention of Twitter and various media outlets especially after she was announced as the winner mere minutes later.

Branch spoke out in support of the Second Amendment during the pageant. Benjamin Askinas/Miss USA

"I think that AK-47s and other guns along those lines should be left to our military," Branch said. "There's no reason for civilians to have those types of weapons."

The Federal Assault Weapons Ban which was signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1994 expired in 2004. Congress has passed scant gun legislation in recent years, despite a wave of mass shootings in the country, and the fact that a 2019 Politico/Morning Consult poll found that nearly 70% of all American voters would support a new ban on assault weapons.

During her final word in the Miss USA pageant, Branch noted that she had grown up in a home with guns and "learned from an early age how to load, how to fire, and gun safety."

Branch said she grew up with guns in her home from an early age. Benjamin Askinas/Miss USA

"As our Second Amendment right, we obviously have the right to bear arms," she said. "And where I'm from, there are a lot of guns people like to hunt. It's important that we just really enforce gun safety and make sure that people have permits and that they're legally able to own a gun."

"It's just a matter of making sure that when we put guns in the hands of people, that they're capable of being safe and making sure that they're using it for the right reasons," she added. "Go hunting, go shoot targets, use it as more of a sport. Let's not harm each other."

People on Twitter recently criticized Branch after a photo of her singing at a Trump rally resurfaced on Monday night. Benjamin Askinas/Miss USA

The pageant queen also caught Twitter's attention when an Instagram photo of her singing at a Donald Trump rally in 2018 resurfaced.

Branch told Insider that she had been contractually obligated to sing the national anthem at the rally while she was Miss Mississippi for the Miss America organization, which is separate from Miss USA.

"I think what people miss a lot of the time is the fact that, as Miss Mississippi in the Miss America system, I was under a contract as an employee of the organization," she said. "Part of my contract obligated me to attend appearances, and that [Trump rally] was one of them."

"And I think that any opportunity that I get to sing the national anthem is a true honor, regardless of where it takes place," she added.

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Miss USA does not believe that the country should ban guns - Insider - INSIDER

Philadelphia City Commissioner Al Schmidt, who is in charge of election oversight in the city, appeared on 60 Minutes Sunday night where he addressed President Trumps attacks on the integrity of the voting in Pennsylvania. Trump made repeated attempts to limit the amount of votes that could be counted in the state, and when those attempts failed and the mail-in ballots handed President-elect Joe Biden victory in the state, Trump began making accusations of widespread fraud. Though Trump and his lawyers have failed to present any actual evidence of widespread fraud, conspiracies have gained traction among his supporters, who joined the president in his calls to stop counting the votes.

From the inside looking out, it feels all very deranged. At the end of the day, we are counting eligible votes cast by voters. The controversy surrounding it is something I dont understand, Schmidt said. Its people making accusations that we wouldnt count those votes, or people are adding fraudulent votes, or coming up with all sorts of crazy stuff.

Schmidt said that the accusations of wrongdoing targeting him and others taking part in counting the votes in Pennsylvania has turned into real-life danger. Two armed Virginia men were arrested outside a vote-counting facility in Philadelphia last week, and Schmidt says there have been threats.

Calls to our offices reminding us that this is what the Second Amendment is for, people like us, Schmidt said. Youre getting calls like that? Bill Whitaker asked, adding, Thats a not-so-vailed death threat. Yes, Schmidt replied, for counting votes in a democracy.

Although the president and his allies cried foul, Schmidt says that the election was handled with integrity. And though Schmidt is a Republican, and mail-in ballots skewed heavily along partisan lines in favor of Biden, Schmidt doesnt believe the counting of votes should be a partisan issue.

Counting votes cast on or before Election Day by eligible voters is not corruption, it is not cheating, it is democracy, Schmidt said. There really should not be a disagreement, regardless of party affiliation, when were talking about counting votes cast on or before Election Day by eligible voters, its not a very controversial thing, or at least it shouldnt be.

60 Minutes airs Sundays at 7:30 p.m. on CBS.

Watch Stephen Colbert fight back tears and make an emotional plea to Republicans following Trumps press conference:

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'This is what the Second Amendment is for': Philadelphia City Commissioner discusses disturbing threats - Yahoo News