Lawmakers and advocates from Connecticut are once again pushing Congress to take up gun control measures, following President Joe Biden’s State of Union address on Tuesday.
Biden called for universal background checks, along with bans on assault rifles and high-capacity magazines. That’s in line with legislation that passed the House last year but stalled in the Senate.
Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut said that might not happen right away, but activists should still push.
“This is a social change movement, and social change movements take time. They get met with obstacles and frustration. But they are so convinced, as we are, of the righteousness of their cause that they don’t give up,” Murphy said.
Lawmakers and advocates also called for the passage of a law that would require loaded and unloaded guns to be locked away in homes where there are minors. It’s named Ethan’s Law, after a late Connecticut teenager who accidentally shot himself in 2018.
Kristin Song is Ethan’s mother.
“For four years I’ve been told to wait. Wait for what? Another child to be killed? Another family shattered? Another community destroyed? I can’t wait when our children’s lives are at stake. So please join me in fighting to pass Ethan’s law,” Song said.
Murphy said the Biden administration could do more without Congress to support gun control, like regulating ghost guns or requiring more background checks for gun sales.
