Senators Sykes and Tavares' Child Gun Safety Act Receives First Hearing
June 6, 2018
Vernon Sykes News
Today, state Senators Vernon Sykes (D-Akron) and Charleta B. Tavares (D-Columbus) provided sponsor testimony on the Child Gun Safety Act, Senate Bill 279, in the Senate Government Oversight and Reform Committee. SB 279 would require adult gun owners to keep their firearms housed in locked containers or secured by a trigger lock when a minor is present.
“This bill rightly asserts that safe gun storage is a fundamental part of responsible gun ownership,” said Senator Sykes. “Keeping weapons out of the hands of children who have a potential to cause harm to themselves or others, and do not understand the level of caution one needs when handling a firearm, is a common sense strategy to reduce gun violence.”
On average, a child under the age of 12 dies from a gun accident in the United States once a week. The majority of these incidents stems from the same problem, minors and small children having easy access to loaded firearms in their home or place of residence. Senators Sykes and Tavares introduced SB 279 in an effort to prevent these tragic incidents from occurring.
“Just this week, we heard about yet another heartbreaking, unintentional shooting that took the life of a two-year-old in Dayton. And then there are the tragic school shootings perpetrated by teenagers who gained access to adults’ guns,” said Senator Tavares. “The Child Gun Safety Act ensures accountability, is common sense and has the potential to save lives.”
SB 279, will establish legal culpability for unsafe storage of a firearm, ranging from a third degree misdemeanor for criminal negligent storage of a firearm to a third degree felony if a minor gains access to the firearm and uses it to injure or kill, except in self-defense. Currently, 27 states and Washington, D.C. have some form of a child access to firearms prevention act.
In 2015, four in 10 children under the age of 19 who died in gun-related incidents died as a result of suicide or unintentional shootings. These statistics align with research showing that easily accessible firearms are associated with an increase in suicide and unintentional deaths by young people. A study found that more than 75 percent of the firearms used in a suicide were obtained from the individual’s home or the residence of a relative or friend.
“This bill rightly asserts that safe gun storage is a fundamental part of responsible gun ownership,” said Senator Sykes. “Keeping weapons out of the hands of children who have a potential to cause harm to themselves or others, and do not understand the level of caution one needs when handling a firearm, is a common sense strategy to reduce gun violence.”
On average, a child under the age of 12 dies from a gun accident in the United States once a week. The majority of these incidents stems from the same problem, minors and small children having easy access to loaded firearms in their home or place of residence. Senators Sykes and Tavares introduced SB 279 in an effort to prevent these tragic incidents from occurring.
“Just this week, we heard about yet another heartbreaking, unintentional shooting that took the life of a two-year-old in Dayton. And then there are the tragic school shootings perpetrated by teenagers who gained access to adults’ guns,” said Senator Tavares. “The Child Gun Safety Act ensures accountability, is common sense and has the potential to save lives.”
SB 279, will establish legal culpability for unsafe storage of a firearm, ranging from a third degree misdemeanor for criminal negligent storage of a firearm to a third degree felony if a minor gains access to the firearm and uses it to injure or kill, except in self-defense. Currently, 27 states and Washington, D.C. have some form of a child access to firearms prevention act.
In 2015, four in 10 children under the age of 19 who died in gun-related incidents died as a result of suicide or unintentional shootings. These statistics align with research showing that easily accessible firearms are associated with an increase in suicide and unintentional deaths by young people. A study found that more than 75 percent of the firearms used in a suicide were obtained from the individual’s home or the residence of a relative or friend.