Ethan’s Law (Connecticut HB 7218) passed with bipartisan support in Connecticut in 2019 and requires that a gun, loaded or unloaded, be properly stored so that individuals under the age of 18 cannot access the firearm. The bill was prompted by the tragic death of 15-year-old Guilford, CT resident, Ethan Song. While at a friend’s house, Ethan died after being shot with an improperly stored gun, and due to a loophole, the owner of the gun could not be prosecuted.
Ethan’s parents Michael and Kristin Song are now focused on passing a national version of Ethan’s Law (H.R.748 and S.190). No Do-Overs founders Bruce and Claire Petillo, whose 15-year-old son Christian died on September 5, 2021 in a similarly preventable shooting at a friend’s house, are working with the Song’s to pass Christian’s Law in Arizona and a national version of Ethan’s Law.
A recent report from the non-partisan Rand Corporation concluded:
We find supportive evidence, our highest evidence rating, that child-access prevention (CAP) laws, or safe storage laws, reduce self-inflicted fatal or nonfatal firearm injuries, including unintentional and intentional self-injuries, among youth. In this update to our review, there is also supportive evidence that these laws reduce suicides among young people, supportive evidence that such laws reduce firearm homicides among young people, and moderate evidence that they reduce firearm suicides for this group. There is also supportive evidence that the CAP laws reduce unintentional firearm injuries and death among children, and limited evidence that they reduce unintentional firearm injuries among adults. Recommendation: States without CAP laws should consider adopting them as a strategy to reduce total and firearm suicides, unintentional firearm injuries and deaths, and firearm homicides.
Rand Corporation: The Science of Gun Policy
We know better. It’s time to do better.
