A gun safety law first passed in Connecticut is part of a package of gun control bills being considered by the U.S. House on Wednesday.
Connecticut’s Ethan’s Law, passed in 2019, requires loaded and unloaded guns to be properly secured so that people under the age 18 cannot access them. It’s named for Ethan Song, a 15-year-old from Guilford. He was accidentally shot and killed with an unsecured gun at a friend’s house.
U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) included a version of the law in the Protecting Our Kids Act gun safety package, which is nearing a vote in the House.
“This legislation is a child safety bill first and foremost — because losing just one child to gun violence is too many,” DeLauro said.
Ethan’s father Michael Song is optimistic that passing the bill in the House will put pressure on the Senate to take action, despite GOP opposition.
“Going to your son's funeral is just about the worst thing that you can imagine," Song said. "We are going to keep fighting. We see some cracks in the wall. We see the wall crumbling just like it did for civil rights."
Connecticut’s two Democratic U.S. senators are also pushing for Senate action. The chamber needs 60% of the vote to pass most legislation — meaning at least 10 Republicans would need to support gun control measures.
