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 The stringent law is constitutional, said the ruling by U.S.
District Court Judge Alfred Covello, denying a legal challenge by a
group of gun owners.
The state's gun control measures, among the strictest in the nation,
were signed into law four months after a gunman in December 2012
killed 26 children and staff in Newtown, Connecticut.
The Newtown shooting revived a national debate on gun control and
led to passage of stringent gun-control laws in northeastern states
such as Connecticut and New York. Other states rejected new curbs on
gun ownership.
The legal challenge filed last year argued that Connecticut's law
violated the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that protects
the right to keep and bear arms.
"While the act burdens the plaintiffs' Second Amendment rights, it
is substantially related to the important governmental interest of
public safety and crime control," Covello wrote in his 47-page
ruling.
Connecticut's law bans the sale of more than 100 types of
military-style rifles, penalizes gun owners who do not register with
state police and limits large-capacity magazines to 10 bullets.
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Governor Dannel Malloy in a statement said the federal judge made
the right decision.
"The common-sense measures we enacted last session will make our
state safer, and I am grateful for the court's seal of approval,"
said Malloy, who signed the measures into law on April 4, 2013, the
day after they were approved by both the state Senate and House of
Representatives.
In his ruling, the judge noted that the state's law does not
prohibit handguns, bolt-action rifles, revolvers or most shotguns.
(Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
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