Casten, Levin Host Press Conference on Bill to Reduce Firearm Deaths in Children

Statement

Today, U.S. Congressman Sean Casten (IL-06) joined Congressman Andy Levin (MI-09) at a press conference in support of Rep. Levin's Protect Children Through Safe Gun Ownership Act. As many as 4.6 million children live in homes with at least one loaded and unsecured firearm. Children finding easy access to firearms contribute to preventable tragedies, such as school shootings, youth suicides, and unintentional shooting deaths among children. Firearms are the leading cause of death among children and teens according to Everytown for Gun Safety.

The bill includes three main provisions to protect children from unsecured firearms: limitation on the transfer and use of handguns by minors, a new gun storage requirement, and robust funding for the Department of Education to create a grant program centered around gun safety and safe storage education for parents and children.

You can watch the press conference with Congressmen Sean Casten (IL-06), Andy Levin (MI-09), and Jake Auchincloss (MA-04); Christian Heyne, Vice President of Policy, Brady: United Against Gun Violence; and Isabella D'Alacio, Policy Associate, March for our Lives here.

The Protect Children Through Safe Gun Ownership Act will reduce the number of preventable firearm tragedies among children and teens by:

Preventing any parent or guardian from providing consent to allow a minor to possess or use a handgun unless they have actual knowledge that the juvenile will be in the presence and under the active supervision of the parent or another adult;
Promoting responsible gun ownership by requiring firearms to be secured in a gun storage or safety device and allowing victims of gun violence or their families to sue if there is death or physical harm resulting from a firearm not being properly stored;
Creating a grant program at the Department of Education to support eligible school districts conducting information sessions on gun safety and providing parents with educational materials on gun safety, including the importance of secure firearms storage and best practices on how to keep guns secure from children; and
Requiring the Secretary of Education to issue guidance on best practices for keeping firearms secure from children and ways that school districts can implement age-appropriate education on gun safety for parents.
""Every day, an average of 22 children and teens are shot in this country. This means that before today ends, approximately 858 children and teens will have been exposed to gun violence so far this year, and before this year ends, approximately 8,000 children and teens will experience gun violence," said Congressman Sean Casten. "Experiencing gun violence shouldn't be a normal part of growing up. Our kids shouldn't have to learn how to cower under their desks or apply shoelace tourniquets. There are solutions that we can and must take to save lives and protect our children, and this bill is the perfect example of commonsense gun reform legislation that is desperately needed."

"On my first day of Congress in 2019, I joined the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, inspired by the movement of students at home in Michigan and across the country who rose up and demanded action in the wake of the Parkland school shooting," said Congressman Levin. "Three years later, and the House has passed several commonsense gun violence prevention measures, yet none have become law."

"Alas, the gun violence epidemic came to our home of Oakland County this past November," Congressman Levin continued. "The Oxford school shooting was an eye-opening example of the danger unsecured firearms pose to minors of all ages, from extreme and heinous crimes like this to everyday accidents. We must keep proposing innovative solutions and working with our colleagues to see them signed into law. With the Protect Children Through Safe Gun Ownership Act, I wanted to create a policy that puts our children first, treats gun violence like the public health crisis it is and empowers our educators who are put on the frontline of this senseless violence. I'm grateful for the support of my colleagues, leaders in the gun violence prevention movement and the incredible organizations representing our educators."

"I'm proud to support this important piece of legislation to reduce the number of firearm tragedies among our young people. It is up to us to act to minimize the chance of devastating, preventable gun violence deaths in this country," said Congresswoman Karen Bass. "This bill takes common-sense precautions to make young people in this country more safe, which is why I urge my colleagues to support it."

"Since the deadly Columbine High School shooting in 1999, more than 292,000 American students have experienced gun violence at school. In 2021, there were at least 371 unintentional shootings by children, resulting in 151 deaths and 239 injuries nationally. This is unacceptable," said Congressman Ted Lieu. "When parents send their children to school, they should do so with the expectation that their children and their children's teachers are safe. Congress must act to ensure the safety of our children and reduce the number of preventable tragedies such as school shootings, youth suicides, and unintentional shooting deaths. The Protect Children Through Safe Gun Ownership Act is a significant step toward commonsense gun reform in our country, which is long overdue."

"With more than 4 million children living in homes with unsecured guns and with more of them at home for extended periods of time, it is more important than ever that we continue to advocate for common-sense policies to keep kids safe," said Congresswoman Lucy McBath. "I am proud to join my colleagues as a Vice Chair of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force to introduce a bill that will help save lives, protect families, and keep guns out of the hands of those who should not have them."

"Safe storage of firearms is key to protecting children from gun violence," said Mark Barden, co-founder and CEO of the Sandy Hook Promise Action Fund and father of Daniel, who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy. "According to a 2018 study, approximately 4.6 million youth in the U.S. live in homes with at least one loaded, unlocked firearm. The Protect Children Through Safe Gun Ownership Act would establish federal requirements and educational materials for secure storage, bringing us one step closer to ensuring that no more families have to experience the horrific loss of a loved one to gun violence."

"Sadly, the events in Oxford, Michigan last year demonstrated the terrible toll that firearms can inflict on communities when they are wrongfully made available to minors. This bill addresses the many ways in which young people who legally should not possess a gun are able to access one, addressing not only school shootings but also suicide and other incidents of family fire, which injure or kill eight children and teens nationwide every day," said Brady President Kris Brown. "This is a common-sense bill that Brady is proud to endorse and support to help keep young people safe across our country."

"All gun owners have a responsibility to ensure that weapons in their home are stored securely and that minors are never able to use handguns without proper adult supervision. Tragically, we saw the deadly consequences that can occur when minors have easy access to firearms in their homes recently in a high school in Oxford Township," said Giffords Federal Affairs Director Adzi Vokhiwa. "We thank Rep. Levin for his work to keep unsecured firearms out of children's hands and urge Congress to take up the Protect Children Through Safe Gun Ownership Act swiftly."

"The true toll of gun violence on our families, our communities and our schools is never fully calculated - year after year, preventable tragedies wreak havoc on witnesses and survivors. Too many people have thrown their hands up in the air, but there are things we can do. We could save lives with simple, common-sense prevention methods that keep guns out of hands that would do harm. Congressman Levin's bill, the Protect Children Through Safe Gun Ownership Act, is practical and frankly obvious to those of us who recognize that schools are the center of every community. The Protect Children Through Safe Gun Ownership Act would provide resources to schools that share information with parents about best practices to secure and store weapons," said AFT President Randi Weingarten. "Americans from all across the political spectrum are desperate to keep our kids safe at school so they can learn and thrive. The Protect Children Through Safe Gun Ownership Act joins common-sense measures like strengthening background checks, ensuring that every school has the appropriate number of mental health professionals, and supporting community violence intervention initiatives in helping educators and students focus on teaching and learning, not the fear of gunshots."

The Protect Children Through Safe Gun Ownership Act is endorsed by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Brady: United Against Gun Violence, Everytown for Gun Safety, Giffords: Courage to Fight Gun Violence, March For Our Lives, National Education Association (NEA) and Sandy Hook Promise.