Governor Lamont Signs Ethan’s Law to Strengthen Requirements on the Safe Storage of Firearms in the Home

Joined by state lawmakers and advocates for commonsense gun safety laws, Governor Ned Lamont today held a bill signing ceremony on the Guilford town green to commemorate final passage of a measure closing a loophole in state statutes on the safe storage of unattended firearms in homes. Named “Ethan’s Law,” the legislation was sought by Kristin and Michael Song, the parents of Ethan Song, 15, who was shot and killed on January 31, 2018 while handling a .357 Magnum pistol at a neighbor’s house.

The pistol was one of three unattended firearms he and a friend knew were kept in a bedroom closet owned by the friend’s father. The firearms were stored in a cardboard box inside of a large Tupperware container. While each of the weapons were secured with operable gun locks, the keys and ammunition for the firearms were located inside of the same box.

At the time of the shooting, it was a class D felony to improperly store a firearm or leave it where a minor could get access without permission of a parent or guardian, but only if that stored gun was loaded. Prosecutors found no evidence to show that the gun was loaded at the time it was accessed, so the owner was not charged with a crime.

The bill Governor Lamont signed, Public Act 19-5, amends that statute to require that firearms be properly stored regardless of whether they are loaded or unloaded. It also changes the definition of a “minor” to anyone up to age 18, up from 16 under current law