Connecticut's Tough Anti-Gun Bill Is Now Law

The gun-control bill that backers call the nation's toughest is now law, the Hartford Courant reports. Gov. Dannel Malloy signed the measure this afternoon, calling it a "profoundly emotional day for everyone in this room" in the wake of the Sandy Hook rampage. The law requires background checks on all those who purchase firearms, widens the state's existing ban on assault weapons, and prohibits the sale of ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. The signing came after the state Senate backed the bill 26-10 while the state House supported it 105-44 in a 2:26am vote following 13 hours of debate, reports the AP.

The Republican Senate minority leader, for his part, read out the names of those killed in the Sandy Hook shooting, saying he was "proud" to have passed the legislation. Among the banned weapons under the new legislation: the Bushmaster AR-15 semiautomatic rifle that Adam Lanza used. It was clear ahead of time that the bill would pass, the Courant notes, but that didn't stop hundreds of gun owners from flooding the building ahead of the debate. (More Connecticut stories.)