Hartford, CT: A June 2022 Gallup poll of U.S. adults found that "the importance of gun policy...to vote choice is by far the highest on record and may now be even higher given the events that transpired after the poll was completed." To help voters, CT Against Gun Violence grades candidates running for the Connecticut General Assembly. It also endorses candidates who will be leaders in passing strong gun laws and have already distinguished themselves as champions of gun violence prevention. CAGV is excited to announce that 138 candidates are graded “A”, of which 98 are endorsed, more than ever before. The organization is confident these candidates will make gun violence prevention a priority if (re)elected. For statewide constitutional offices, CAGV is endorsing Ned Lamont for Governor, Susan Bysiewicz for Lt. Governor, William Tong for Attorney General, Stephanie Thomas for Secretary of the State, Erick Russell for State Treasurer and Sean Scanlon for Comptroller. All these candidates have demonstrated, through their words and actions, a strong commitment to CAGV’s policy agenda to reduce gun violence in Connecticut. Click here to see the full list of CAGV 2022 Candidate Grades & Endorsements, and details on how CAGV graded candidates. If a candidate doesn't appear, that's because they don't have a voting record and didn't complete our survey. Not being transparent with voters on an issue as important as gun violence is a statement in itself. Candidates earn an “A” grade by supporting a range of measures demonstrated to reduce gun violence, including safe storage, extreme risk protection orders and investing resources in community-based gun violence reduction programs such as those that the CT Department of Public Health was funded to support in this year’s budget. Remarked CAGV executive director Jeremy Stein, "Today's voters want lawmakers who will keep them safe from gun violence by supporting strong gun regulations and investing in measures that reduce gun violence. They pay attention to whether candidates favor policies that save lives or whether they will sacrifice public safety in favor of the gun lobby." The large number of endorsements demonstrates that candidates are attuned to voters’ concerns: more so than any year since the Sandy Hook School shooting, candidates are making gun violence prevention an explicit part of their campaign messaging. The focus reflects the voices of CAGV supporters and others who are making it clear: in Connecticut, voters want lawmakers who will address the public health crisis of gun violence with strong gun regulation and investments in saving lives. | 
