1,000 Run/Walk At 2nd Annual SongStrong Saturday In Guilford

GUILFORD, CT - 1,000 runners ran in 2nd annual SongStrong: Keep Kids Safe 5K Saturday morning.

Mike Song said he was “overwhelmed” by the outpouring of support and thanked his wife, Kristin, for championing the cause of safe gun storage.

Also in attendance was Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro who called the Songs “remarkable people” for taking a tragic event and turning into something positive for Guilford, the state, the country.

The race celebrates the life of Ethan Song who passed away in January 2018 at the age of 15. All proceeds go to the Ethan Miller Song Foundation, a non-profit that develops and supports Ethan's causes and programs that keep kids safe, including initiatives that push safe gun storage.

Connecticut's current safe storage law only requires that loaded firearms be properly stored "if a minor is likely to gain access to the firearm without the permission of the parent or guardian of the minor."

Ethan's parents have become nationally known advocates for stronger gun storage laws since their son's death.

DeLauro said the Songs’ persistence on the issue has been inspiring and motivational.

Part of the language of a bill passed in the Connecticut General Assembly calls for much tougher gun storage requirements in Connecticut.

DeLauro introduced federal legislation modeled after Connecticut's "Ethan's Law" bill.

DeLauro anticipates there will be bipartisan support for Ethan's Law because everyone agrees that protecting children is fundamental.

"We are eager and optimistic to see that this law will be passed quickly because nothing is more important than our children's lives," she said.

She and U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, who is introducing a Senate version of Ethan's Law, said the federal bill would include fines for unsafe storage of guns and possible jail time and exposure to civil liabilities if the improperly stored weapon results in injury or death. Their bill would also provide law enforcement grants to states to implement similar laws on the state level.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, in 2017, at least 2,696 children and adolescents were unintentionally shot after a gun was improperly stored; more than 100 were killed. Another 1,110 children their own lives, many with unsecured firearms.