In a Tuesday column in the Hartford Courant, researcher John Lott pointed out how Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy’s proposed exorbitant fee increases would impact citizens most vulnerable to crime—the poor.
“Democrats oppose even free voter IDs as imposing too much of a burden on the poor,” Lott wrote, “but when it comes to guns, they don't hesitate to impose fees, expensive training requirements and onerous background checks. These are precisely the things that can put guns out of reach for poor people.”
Malloy wants to raise the fee for handgun permits to $370, with a $300 renewal every 5 years. Connecticut currently imposes a $140 fee—twice the national average.
Malloy claims the increase is needed to offset a $1.4 billion state budget shortfall (Connecticut has lost $50 million in tax revenue by running off gun manufacturers). However, he blithely assumes that the same number of permits will be issued after the increase. The truth is that when he drastically increases the burden of gun ownership, only criminals and the rich will own guns.
