Still coping with the death of their teenage son a year ago, Michael and Kristin Song are on a mission that is helping to relieve some of their pain — advocating for tougher federal and state laws on safe gun storage aimed at keeping firearms out of children's hands.
Ethan Song, 15, accidentally shot himself in the head with a handgun owned by his friend's father in their hometown of Guilford, Connecticut, on Jan. 31, 2018. The friend's father had kept the .357 magnum and two other guns secured with gun locks in a plastic container in his bedroom closet, but keys to the locks and ammunition also were in the container, police said.
Versions of "Ethan's Law" were introduced this month in the U.S. Senate and Connecticut House of Representatives. Under the federal bill, gun owners could face up to five years in prison and a $500 fine if they leave a firearm unsecured at home and a minor or someone else who can't legally possess a gun uses it to injure or kill themselves or another person. It also includes incentives for states to pass their own laws.
