CONNECTICUT, USA — The U.S. House of Representatives passed a gun control bill called 'Protecting Our Kids' after lawmakers faced intense pressure to take action on the recent mass shootings.
Part of that bill included Connecticut's Ethan's Law which is in the process of turning into a national standard.
The U.S. House voted 223-204 to pass the wide-ranging package of gun control legislation.
Ethan's Law was passed in Connecticut in 2019. Also known as HB-7218, it would require a gun, loaded or unloaded to be properly stored so individuals under the age of 18 cannot access the firearm.
This bill was prompted by the tragic death of 15-year-old Ethan Song who accidentally shot and killed himself with a gun that had been left in a cardboard box at a friend's home in 2018.
Since then, Ethan's parents, Mike and Kristin Song have been the faces of gun safety and reform.
"There are so many assault rifles already out there in our country and so, safe storage does play such an intricate part in reducing suicides, unintentional deaths like our son," said Kristin Song, Ethan Song's mother.
The next challenge is getting this federal bill to pass in the U.S. Senate as it has been met with widespread GOP opposition to stricter gun control.
"That tragedy is being repeated every single day in America but now the country’s starting to focus on the idea that new gun safes open at the speed of a smartphone and we can save hundreds, if not thousands of lives, prevent school shootings and suicides as well by simply having a policy where if there’s kids around, we lock guns down," said Mike Song, Ethan Song's father.
Representative Steve Stafstrom said this bill should not even be debatable.
"I know Senator Murphy’s working very hard on trying to find consensus on this issue and I’m really hopeful that we can put partisan politics aside and do what’s right for our kids and our citizens," said Rep. Stafstrom.
Ethan's mother said she went to the cemetery to see her son the moment she found out Ethan's Law would be included in the federal bill.
"Every time the Republicans tell me that this is political, this isn’t political. This is personal," added Kristin Song.
The Senate Chamber will need 60-percent of the vote to pass the bill, which means at least 10 Republicans will have to show support.
Carmen Chau is an anchor and reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at cchau@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
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