Tlaib pushes federal gun safety law to require firearm lock with new purchases
DETROIT (FOX 2) - Michigan Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib has an idea that she thinks will help prevent accidental shootings involving children and she's introduced it as a bill in Washington.
Tlaib says 4.6 million children in the U.S. live in homes with a loaded and unlocked firearm and has introduced legislation that she says can help save lives by requiring a gun lock with every gun sold in the United States.
"The leading cause of death right now in the United States for children is firearms," Tlaib said. "Right now we have Ethan’s Law which is great it’s about safe storage but to me at the time of purchase that’s where we have to give the gunlocks that’s where we have to talk about keeping these guns away from children."
Gun store owner and attorney William Kucyk questions the impact of the legislation because the state already requires gun locks be provided and these types of shooting she hopes to prevent still happen.
"Here in Michigan for dealers such as myself if we sell a gun to anybody we have to provide a lock," he said. "Nonetheless, we're still having these instances."
Just this week a mother and father were charged in connection with the non-fatal shooting of their 11-month-old son after a 6-year-old found an unsecured handgun in the home and fired it, shooting the infant in the face and shoulder.
"If you have to tell a responsible adult to lock up a gun away from kids, it might be failing in death ears," Kucyk said.
Tlaib says she has support for the legislation but admits some lawmakers are not on board
"Unfortunately the National Rifle Association, the NRA, still has a strong hold on many of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle," she said.
Mia Reid, who lost her son in 2011 to gun violence, says a bill like this could help prevent other families from knowing their pain.
"Gun violence is an epidemic and it can happen to anyone no one is immune to gun violence," Reid said. "Anything that is dangerous and is locked away is going to prevent someone from getting hurt it’s common sense."