CT Gov: We Can Change ‘The Culture That Death Is OK’ in Pursuit of ‘Idealized Idea About What the Constitution Says’

On Friday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “All In,” Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy (D) said states can “be part of changing the culture that death is okay in the pursuit of some idealized idea about what the Constitution says.”

Malloy said, “Let me give you a statistic about Texas. In 2016, the last verified figure, over 3,500 people in the state of Texas died as a result of gun violence. In my state, it was 172. Now, I understand they’ve got a bigger population, so let me break it down. 12.6 individuals lost their lives per 100,000. In my state, it was 4.6. You can make your state safer. You can be part of changing the culture that death is okay in the pursuit of some idealized idea about what the Constitution says. The reality is, is our first obligation as elected officials is to make our citizens safe, and so many people are failing that test.”

He added, “[W]e should make sure that every gun changes hands by a licensed individual, or at least is subject to a background check and a three-day waiting period. We have done away with those — the weapons that have been so often used, although not used in this incident. We’ve banned bump stocks. We’ve banned large-capacity magazines. In the last four years, in part as a result of what we did on gun violence, Connecticut has had the largest drop in violent crime of any of the 50 states, by almost 30% above the next nearest state.”