Langevin
introduces bill gun nuts are sure to hate
Congressman
Jim Langevin (D-RI) introduced legislation to protect children from
unsecured firearms. The Child Gun Access Prevention Act would promote
state laws that hold gun owners criminally liable if their firearms are used by
children.
“Millions
of children across the country live in homes with unsecured, loaded guns,” said
Congressman Langevin.
“This
poses a serious public safety hazard. An unsecured gun in the home is tied to
dramatically increased rates of youth suicide and unintentional child gun
injuries.
"We’ve also seen devastating cases where children have gained access to their parents’ guns and used them to kill purposefully. Adult gun owners must lock up their guns, and when they fail to do so, they must be held responsible.”
"We’ve also seen devastating cases where children have gained access to their parents’ guns and used them to kill purposefully. Adult gun owners must lock up their guns, and when they fail to do so, they must be held responsible.”
Fourteen
states (including Rhode Island) and the District of Columbia currently have
laws, known as Child Access Prevention (CAP) laws, that hold gun owners liable
for negligent gun storage that leads to child access.
Studies have found that these laws are associated with a decline in both youth suicides and unintentional child gun deaths and injuries. However, many state laws are not comprehensive – they don’t apply to 16 and 17 year olds, for instance – and they are rarely enforced.
“School
shootings are made all the more tragic when they are clearly preventable,”
continued Langevin. “I believe in comprehensive gun violence prevention
legislation to stop deadly weapons from getting in the hands of dangerous
criminals.
But
even lawful gun owners’ firearms can be put to terrible use when they are left
accessible to children, as we have seen this year in Benton, Kentucky, and
Santa Fe, Texas. CAP provisions ensure that safe storage isn’t just a good
idea: it’s the law.”
The
Child Gun Access Prevention Act would provide funds to states to assist
them in implementing strong CAP laws that hold adults criminally liable if they
leave an unsecured firearm in a manner that is accessible to a child under age
18.
The
bill would also direct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to study
child gun injuries and deaths, and it would require gun dealers to provide safe
storage information with each sale.
This
legislation is supported by Everytown for Gun Safety and the Rhode Island
Chapter of Moms Demand Action.
