Father of Newtown victim heckled at gun control hearing

"The Second Amendment!" was shouted as Neil Heslin talked about assault weapons

Published January 29, 2013 6:02PM (EST)

The father of one of the victims of the Newtown school shootings was heckled during a series of gun control hearings in Hartford, Conn. on Monday.

The hearings, which lasted several hours, brought out around 1500 people to the Capitol, including a number of NRA supporters as well as proponents on harsher gun control measures.

But the Connecticut Post reports that the crowds, mostly dominated by gun owners, got somewhat out of hand:

The sometimes boisterous public hearing -- after nearly four hours of testimony from State Police, parents of slain Newtown first-graders and city mayors -- seemed dominated by gun owners, who railed at more than 90 proposed bills.

"The Second Amendment!" was shouted a couple of times by as many as a dozen gun enthusiasts in the meeting room as Neil Heslin, holding a photo of his slain 6-year-old son, Jesse Lewis, asked why Bushmaster assault-style weapons are allowed to be sold in the state.

"There are a lot of things that should be changed to prevent what happened," said Heslin, who said he grew up using guns and was undisturbed by the interruption of his testimony.

 


By Jillian Rayfield

Jillian Rayfield is an Assistant News Editor for Salon, focusing on politics. Follow her on Twitter at @jillrayfield or email her at jrayfield@salon.com.

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Connecticut Gun Control Gun Violence Newtown School Shooting Sandy Hook Elementary Shooting