Gov. Whitmer is About to Sign a Law That Will Save Countless Lives

By Kristin Song and Dr. Chethan Sathya

Five years ago, one of us lost our fifteen-year-old son, Ethan Song, who was killed by an unsecured gun in his best friend's home. The other is a pediatric trauma surgeon at New York’s largest health system, Northwell Health, who has stitched together hundreds of children after a bullet has torn through their skin. We’re far too familiar with the devastating damage that guns do to children. We also know there’s one, common sense way to prevent them: safe storage.

Last month, the Michigan Legislature passed a package of bills that includes a safe storage requirement for all gun owners — a version of Ethan’s Law, which requires gun owners in Connecticut to safely lock and store guns if a minor is likely to gain access to it. Governor Whitmer is expected to sign the bill any day in what will be a massive step forward for protecting kids across the state. This is far more than just another headline or political win.

This bill will save countless kids from accidental and intentional shootings by keeping weapons out of their hands in the first place — and it’s just scratching the surface of what lawmakers can do to protect Michigan’s kids.

There is an endless stream of headlines about a child shot or killed by a gun — kids at school, toddlers in their parents’ bedroom, or teenagers in the basement. And it’s an endless stream of preventable tragedies. Every year, hundreds of kids die from unintentional shootings in the U.S. and teens and toddlers are the most likely to be both victims and shooters.

In 2020 alone, there were 125 toddlers — all below the age of five — who accidentally shot themselves or someone else with an unsecured gun. Earlier this year, a 5-year-old boy shot himself in Detroit with a gun he found at home. Since 2015, accidental shootings by children have been a more than monthly occurrence. Research also shows that more than 75% of school shootings are facilitated by kids who have access to an unlocked gun at home.

Each child and teen who has shot someone with a gun has a unique story. But there is one thing that far too many have in common. As Representative Kelly Breen (MI-21) said recently, the vast majority of accidental and intentional shootings by young people happen as a result of having easy access to an unlocked firearm.

Today, more than 4.6 million children live in homes with firearms that are loaded and unlocked — a fact that often slips under the radar but is nonetheless a consistent and pervasive killer of our kids.

When it comes to Ethan’s Law, the evidence is clear. Safe storage requirements have been shown to reduce the number of accidental and intentional shootings by children and are estimated to prevent hundreds of child deaths per year. On average, states with safe storage laws see far fewer kids die from gun violence, while those without such provisions rank among the highest rates of accidental gun-related child deaths. And studies show that gun owners overwhelmingly support these laws. Ethan’s Law could save countless kids across the state from tragic, preventable deaths.

Estimates suggest that if even a small number of people take steps to safely store guns, we can prevent nearly a third of children’s gun deaths by suicide and unintentional shooting. That’s thousands of lives.

But passing the law isn’t enough. Last year, Republicans and Democrats in Washington, D.C. took an unprecedented step forward on gun reform by passing the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), the first federal investment in gun safety in three decades. We need Michigan lawmakers to make full use of the funding provisions in the BSCA to invest in making Ethan’s Law a success.

In February, the state was awarded nearly $8 million in federal grants through the Department of Justice’s Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program — an initiative created by the BSCA and dedicated to helping states implement programs related to gun safety. With this $8 million award, Michigan lawmakers can invest in public education for parents and kids about safe storage. And the data shows that it works. In Brady’s recent “End Family Fire” awareness campaign, gun owners were 400% more likely to seek additional information on safe storage and 48% more likely to change how and where they stored guns at home. Simply put: education about safe storage works.

Earlier this week, President Biden signed an executive order directing federal agencies to ramp up investments in education and safe storage. Michigan lawmakers should take advantage of this moment of national awareness to direct resources to lifesaving education.

Finally, leaders in Lansing should work with school systems and local governments to prioritize applying for new federal funding from the BSCA to invest in evidence-based community violence intervention programs. For young people who are most likely to end up on one end of a gun or the other, early and consistent intervention can have an enormous impact on their life trajectory.
When Governor Whitmer signs safe storage legislation, she will be saving the lives of toddlers, kids, and teens from Detroit to Grand Rapids, and everywhere in between. And then, for Ethan, and for all of Michigan’s children, Lansing should keep investing in safe storage — because it works.

Dr. Chethan Sathya is a pediatric surgeon and the director at the Center for Gun Violence Prevention at Northwell Health in New York. Kristin Song is President of the Ethan Song Foundation, and a national advocate for safe storage laws.