Ethan Song's Dad: I Will “Honor My Son's Life Through Action"

GUILFORD, CT - Mike Song never pictured himself or his family being in a position of being a voice for stricter gun control measures in Connecticut but the Guilford father of a teenager killed by a gun nearly a year ago isn't shying away from the role.

Mike Song and his wife are just back from a trip to Washington, D.C., where they, representatives from the Newtown Action Alliance, lawmakers and victims of gun violence from across the country rallied for stricter national gun laws at the nation’s capital.

Those pushing for stricter gun control measures are hoping the flipping of the House of Representatives to Democratic control will mean - six years after the tragic Sandy Hook shooting - that Congress will finally take action toward stricter gun control.

Patch asked Mike Song about his family's trip to Washington - and here's what he had to say:

"Sitting with Columbine, Parkland, Sandy Hook, Aurora, Virginia Tech, San Bernardino and countless other mass shooting survivors – strengthened my resolve to honor my son’s life through action. We are all connected. My heart went out to the inner city moms who had lost a child or even multiple children. When you look into their eyes, you think, we have to be a positive force for change. They need our help and we are late…but not too late. The time for action has come.

"Gun violence is a solvable problem and bipartisan support is growing. Many candidates were elected primarily because they support safe gun laws. Many of my friends own guns, and many of them also participated in the March for our Lives. They support Ethan’s law. Most people are in favor of commonsense gun laws. One gun owner approached me after Kristin (Mike Song's wife) had spoken to a large crowd in Bridgeport. He told me a scary story about a neighbor with a special needs child and a number of unsecured guns. He asked, “How can I help?”

"In DC, I was fortunate to present ideas alongside the young people from Sandy Hook. We often look to the Parkland teens as the new face of the gun safety battle. Well…I just want to put a plug in for the Sandy Hook teens. They are equally poised, committed, brilliant, and passionate about their cause. I teach public speaking and frankly, these kids were better speakers than me.

"Sitting with people like Chris Murphy, Richard Blumenthal, Kirsten Gillibrand, and Jim Himes was inspiring. The landscape is changing in Washington and I believe we will get to a better place as a country.

"Guilty. I felt guilty for being so late to the cause. When change happens, it will be because of the people like the ones I met from the inner city, Columbine, Sandy Hook and Parkland. We are standing on their shoulders and throwing Ethan’s Law like a forward pass. We will move the ball forward thanks to them. At the vigil, people from Virginia asked me to send them the safe storage verbiage – it’s a start.

"There is a lot of misinformation out there. A lot of fake memes. But Mass. has the strongest safe storage law in the country…and the lowest per capita death rate by firearms. I am just an athlete and business guy…all my life, I have asked a simple question. Who is the best? What do they do to be successful? When I apply that logic to this issue, I see that the states with the best gun safety laws have the lowest per capita death rate. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firearm_death_rates_in_the_United_States_by_state

Ethan Song died last January, according to a report from the Waterbury State's Attorney, after accidentally shooting himself.

In the days after that report was issued, Guilford police charged a juvenile, whose name was not released, with manslaughter in the second degree in connection with Ethan Song's death. The investigation also identified an incident that occurred prior to Ethan's death. The same juvenile was charged with reckless endangerment in the first degree in connection with the prior incident and referred to Juvenile Court.

In a report published by the State's Attorneys Office, prosecutors determined that the gun used to kill Ethan was unloaded but the gun's bullets were stored next to the gun in the same cardboard box. Because the gun was not technically loaded despite the bullets being right next to it, the State's Attorneys Office concluded they could not prosecute the gun's owner based on current state statute.

Guilford State Rep. Sean Scanlon has introduced "Ethan's Law," which Scanlon said would close a loophole in Connecticut law that prohibited prosecutors in Ethan's killing from charging the owner of the gun used to kill him.

Scanlon plans to introduce the legislation when the General Assembly opens its new session on January 9th of next next year.

"Our community suffered a great tragedy with the loss of Ethan but gun violence is a tragedy that sadly impacts each and every community in our state far too often. I am so proud to be working with Mike and Kristin on Ethan's Law and I truly believe that by closing this loophole in his memory and the memory of other victims we will reduce gun violence and make our state safer," Scanlon said.

Connecticut's 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."

"Passing Ethan’s Law won’t take a gun from a single person but it will increase the number of guns that are out of the reach of minors. It will save lives," Mike Song said.

Photos provided by the Song family