HARTFORD, Conn. — The Newtown Legislative Council struck down several proposed ordinances that would limit citizens’ ability to carry guns in town following proposals from the national gun reform group, Newtown Action Alliance.

Newtown Action Alliance had spent several years following a school shooting that left dozens of children dead pushing for the proposed ordinances that would limit open carry of firearms, carrying firearms on town property and carrying firearms during demonstrations, but Po Murray, head of the grassroots organization, said the council first took up the matter this week.

Murray, who attended the meeting Wednesday, said the council could have approved sending the ordinances to a committee for review, but since the tally was 6-6 the measures failed to move on for further consideration.

“It’s so disappointing to see them block this effort from getting to that level,” Murray, a former legislative council member, said.

Newtown Action Alliance also started a petition in support of the ordinances that received more than 600 signatures, 160 of which were town residents including some who were impacted by the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre.

Since the school shooting, gun reform and ending gun violence has become a mission for a number of Newtown residents and spawned groups like Murray’s and Sandy Hook Promise, an organization started by family members of those killed, that push for more restrictive policies.

The proposed ordinances stem from issues faced within the town where Murray’s organization, which routinely holds rallies and vigils, were faced with counterprotests from armed citizens.

Murray said the argument against sending the ordinances forward for review was concerns over preempting state law and potential legal challenges the town could face if the ordinances were passed. Murray’s organization shared reviews from lawyers that neither would be a problem and offered the assistance of those lawyers should the town get sued.

The move by the council Wednesday was met with praise from the Connecticut Citizens Defense League, one of the state’s largest gun rights organizations.

“The Connecticut Citizens Defense League advocates for the right of all law abiding citizens to keep and bear arms to protect themselves and their families,” said league President Holly Sullivan. “Ordinances that seek to deny our citizens this important right without cause or compelling reason have no place in our communities.”

Sullivan pointed out that towns have lost legal battles over ordinances related to firearms.

Council Chairman Paul Lundquist, among the six members who voted against sending the proposals forward for review, said Friday that a second motion passed later in the meeting that would seek a legal opinion from the town’s attorney on an ordinance related to banning the carrying of guns on town property.

“The shift from focus on three broader, more comprehensive firearms ordinances to a more narrow focus of open carry on town owned land, I believe, reflects a more pragmatic approach and better reflects the proper question for our consideration: is there a local issue that can be addressed by a local ordinance? That’s our core charge,” Lundquist said in an email.

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