Guns and other weapons will no longer be allowed on Town-owned property or in Town buildings in accordance with a new ordinance passed unanimously by the Woodbridge Board of Selectmen at their June monthly meeting. Several residents turned out to support the Selectmen’s action.
“I believe this change comports with what most residents would assume to be the case,” said First Selectman Ellen Scalettar. “We don’t expect guns on playgrounds, walking trails or at the library.”
The Woodbridge Board of Selectmen approved a change to the Town’s firearms ordinance on the same day that a member of Congress and four others were shot while at a baseball practice and a year and a day after the country’s deadliest mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub.
“A municipality cannot regulate the gun industry like the federal or state government can; we cannot require mental health background checks or prohibit those on the no-fly list from buying guns. What we can do is regulate where those guns are carried and used in our Town,” Scalettar said.
Following the tragic murder of 20 Connecticut school children in 2012, Connecticut passed some of the toughest gun laws in the country. The State law prohibits carrying weapons in schools and where legislators meet, but otherwise leaves it up to property owners – whether they are public or private - to restrict weapons on their property. Many Connecticut towns have done so.
The ordinance prohibits carrying guns onto any property owned by the Town of Woodbridge, including municipal buildings, parks, trails, etc. There are two exemptions: one for law enforcement personnel and the other for the lawful transport of weapons on Town roads.
Another change to the firearms ordinance was approved in order to bring it into compliance with State law. Woodbridge’s ordinance had prohibited discharging a weapon within 500 yards of a dwelling but state law requires that the maximum distance be 500 feet.
Woodbridge Passes Pet Leash Law
The Town of Woodbridge now has a “leash law” that requires dogs to be on a leash. Already dog owners (or dog walkers) were required to pick up and remove dog feces from any public area or private area that is not the dog owners’ yard.
Now dog owners and dog walkers have the additional responsibility of keeping their dog under control with a leash or similar restraint. The blind and accompanying guide dogs are exempted from both requirements.