    [Senate Hearing 117-804]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

                                                            S. Hrg. 117-804

                        STOP GUN VIOLENCE: SAFE STORAGE

    =======================================================================

                                    HEARING

                                   before the

                        SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE CONSTITUTION

                                     OF THE

                           COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY
                              UNITED STATES SENATE

                        ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS

                                 FIRST SESSION

                                   __________

                                  MAY 25, 2021

                                   __________

                              Serial No. J-117-20

                                   __________

             Printed for the use of the Committee on the Judiciary

                   [GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

                            www.judiciary.senate.gov
                                www.govinfo.gov

                                  ______

                     U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE

    54-441                    WASHINGTON : 2026

                           COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY

                       RICHARD J. DURBIN, Illinois, Chair
    PATRICK J. LEAHY, Vermont            CHARLES E. GRASSLEY, Iowa, Ranking
    DIANNE FEINSTEIN, California             Member
    SHELDON WHITEHOUSE, Rhode Island     LINDSEY O. GRAHAM, South Carolina
    AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota             JOHN CORNYN, Texas
    CHRISTOPHER A. COONS, Delaware       MICHAEL S. LEE, Utah
    RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut      TED CRUZ, Texas
    MAZIE K. HIRONO, Hawaii              BEN SASSE, Nebraska
    CORY A. BOOKER, New Jersey           JOSH HAWLEY, Missouri
    ALEX PADILLA, California             TOM COTTON, Arkansas
    JON OSSOFF, Georgia                  JOHN KENNEDY, Louisiana
                                         THOM TILLIS, North Carolina
                                         MARSHA BLACKBURN, Tennessee
           Joseph Zogby, Democratic Chief Counsel and Staff Director
          Kolan L. Davis, Republican Chief Counsel and Staff Director

                        SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE CONSTITUTION

                     RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut, Chair
    DIANNE FEINSTEIN, California         TED CRUZ, Texas, Ranking Member
    SHELDON WHITEHOUSE, Rhode Island     JOHN CORNYN, Texas
    JON OSSOFF, Georgia                  MICHAEL S. LEE, Utah
                                         BEN SASSE, Nebraska

                    David Stoopler, Democratic Chief Counsel
                     Andrew Davis, Republican Chief Counsel

                                C O N T E N T S

                                  ----------

                               OPENING STATEMENTS

                                                                       Page

    Blumenthal, Hon. Richard.........................................     1
    Cruz, Hon. Ted...................................................     3

                                   WITNESSES

    Bartozzi, Joseph.................................................    12
        Prepared statement...........................................    35

    Bonar, Dr. Ted...................................................    15
        Prepared statement...........................................    47

    Haasz, Dr. Maya..................................................    10
        Prepared statement...........................................    30

    Song, Kristin....................................................     7
        Prepared statement...........................................    41

    Willeford, Stephen...............................................     8
        Prepared statement...........................................    43

                                    APPENDIX

    Items submitted for the record...................................    29

                        STOP GUN VIOLENCE: SAFE STORAGE

                                  ----------

                             TUESDAY, MAY 25, 2021

                                  United States Senate,
                              Subcommittee on The Constitution,
                                    Committee on the Judiciary,
                                                        Washington, DC.
        The Subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 2:54 p.m., in
    Room 226, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. Senator Richard
    Blumenthal, Chair of the Subcommittee, presiding.
        Present: Senators Blumenthal [presiding], Feinstein,
    Whitehouse, Ossoff, Cruz, Cornyn, Lee, and Sasse.

             OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL,

              A U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT

        Chair Blumenthal. The Senate Committee on the Judiciary
    Subcommittee on the Constitution hearing today will come to
    order. I thank all of our witnesses for being here. Ranking
    Member Cruz coming straight from the vote. I apologize for the
    delay, but we had a vote, and I thank also the witnesses who
    are participating remotely today.
        Before we begin the hearing, let me just take a moment to
    recognize that today is the 1-year anniversary of the murder of
    George Floyd, the recent guilty verdict. A lot of events that
    have occurred in this past year provide necessary
    accountability. But it isn't true accountability, and it isn't
    true justice. Justice would be for George Floyd to be here,
    alive, today. True justice, equality, and equity require real
    action and real change in policing, and, all across our
    society, elimination of racism, wherever it exists.
        There's a lot of work to do. The Subcommittee on the
    Constitution will have a part in it, so will our entire Senate.
    We need to move forward with action to match this moment of
    reckoning for our country.
        We're here this afternoon for our third hearing on another
    critical issue facing our country involved in stopping the
    epidemic of gun violence that claims more than 100 lives every
    day in the United States of America. In our first two hearings,
    we covered red flag laws and ghost guns. And now we're turning
    to safe storage.
        Ethan's Law, which I introduced in this Congress, would be
    a vital step forward toward stopping unintentional shootings
    that occur every day in this country. In fact, nearly every
    day, there is an unintentional shooting by a child. Last month
    in Texas, in Houston, a 3-year-old accidentally shot and killed
    his 8-month-old brother. Last January, police in Murray, Utah,
    reported that a 3-year-old was accidentally shot in the head
    when he woke up before his parents, climbed onto a counter, and
    started playing with a gun. In both of these cases, the gun was
    unsecured.
        In the worst of these kinds of tragedies, someone loses a
    life. In many, the shooter, a child, has to live the rest of
    their life knowing they killed someone, frequently a close
    family member. Those shootings tear apart families every day in
    America.
        In addition to the unintentional shootings, there are the
    suicides, 700 of them every day, involving children dying by
    gun suicide, often using guns belonging to a family member.
    Seven hundred every year. The risk of youth suicide is far
    greater when a gun is accessible. In fact, one study found that
    the best indicator of a State's youth suicide rate is, quote,
    ``household gun ownership.'' We will hear more about that issue
    from our witnesses today.
        Securing firearms also will reduce firearms shootings in
    our schools. Roughly 75 percent of incidents of gunfire on
    school grounds involve a shooter who has obtained a weapon at a
    home, in the home of a friend or relative. We know about that
    phenomenon in Connecticut all too well, from the Sandy Hook
    massacre.
        Safe storage laws save lives. It's that simple. Safe
    storage laws are needed to protect our Nation's children. Eight
    children every day are unintentionally injured or killed due to
    an unsecured gun in the home. Let me repeat that. Eight
    children, every day, in the greatest country in the history of
    the world, are killed unintentionally, or injured, by a gun
    unsafely stored in a home.
        Forty percent of households with guns are unsafely stored.
    Nearly one-quarter of parents whose children admitted handling
    guns didn't know their kids had done so. The stark fact is,
    there is no way to undo the damage. The death and tragedies
    that result once a gun is fired, whether it's unsafely stored
    in a gun in the first place.
        Today, we'll hear from Kristin Song about the enduring and
    permanent pain and loss an unsecured firearm can cause. She's
    joined by her husband, Mike. Her story of her loss of their 15-
    year-old son, Ethan, to an accidental shooting with an
    unsecured gun, I think, will move the Nation. In 2019, heeding
    their heartfelt call to--call to action, Connecticut enacted
    Ethan's Law, with bipartisan support, to require that gun
    owners safely and securely store their firearms.
        To Kristin and Mike, I just want to say, we are not done.
    We will not be done until we pass Ethan's Law in the United
    States Congress. Your being here today means the world. We're
    going to do everything we can to pass Ethan's Law, and I ask my
    colleagues across the aisle, as well as on our side, to help us
    do it.
        Of particular interest, I hope, to my colleagues, are the
    33 States, including Texas, that have already adopted some form
    of safe storage access law. It's on the books in those States.
    It varies from State to State, but what we need is a national
    standard now. There is a reason that those States have passed
    those laws, because they work. They work to prevent deaths and
    injury.
        Quote, ``Unloaded firearms can be secured with a firearm-
    locking device to make them safe, inoperable. Unloaded firearms
    also can be stored in a locked cabinet, safe, firearm vault, or
    storage case.'' That's a quote from the National Shooting
    Sports Foundation instruction to gun owners. Thank you, Mr.
    Bartozzi, for being here today and for the program that NSSF
    sponsors.
        Quote, ``That strong locks, strong boxes, and security
    cases are inexpensive and give quick access to firearms in a
    defensive situation,'' end quote. Quote, ``Gun safes are the
    most secure storage option,'' end quote. That is from the NRA,
    in August of 2020, in an article entitled, ``Five Tips to
    Safely Store Your Guns.''
        There is no question that guns should be safely stored. On
    all sides of this issue, there is a consensus. The disagreement
    is only whether there should be a law requiring it. My
    colleagues, the groups on all sides, agree that it should be
    done. The opponents just don't want anyone to tell them to do
    it. They agree it's--that gun owners responsibly should keep
    their guns safely stored. They just don't want a mandate. We
    know this issue is one of public safety, where we always, when
    it's a matter of life and death, accept legal requirement.
        Airbags. Seatbelts. Everybody agrees, a matter of public
    safety. That's why we require them. Keeping prescription drugs
    out of the hands of children, we agree that it should be done,
    and we have laws requiring childproof containers.
        Some say that safe storage laws are unconstitutional, but
    they've been upheld across the country. Some say that safe
    storage will make it impossible to use firearms in self-
    defense, but modern safes with digital or biometric controls
    make it as easy to unlock as it is your phone. We can disagree
    about the details, but the recognition is unanimous, or
    virtually so, that we must work together to pass a measure at
    the Federal level, unanimous among people who believe in gun
    safety and stopping gun violence because these injuries and
    deaths are preventable. If we choose to act, we must act.
        I, again, thank you for being here today. I turn to the
    Ranking Member.

                  OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. TED CRUZ,

                 A U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF TEXAS

        Senator Cruz. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you to each of
    the witnesses that are here today. Every responsible gun owner
    knows that safely storing their firearms is critical. Heidi and
    I store our firearms safely, and we expect that everyone with a
    firearm in their home should do the same.
        We also know that when firearms are not stored responsibly,
    there can be tragic consequences. Senator Blumenthal spoke
    about Ethan Song, a 15-year-old boy who fatally shot himself,
    by accident, with a firearm that was stored at a friend's
    house. For all of us, our hearts go out to the entire family.
    Ms. Song, thank you for being here. Thank you for telling your
    son's story. As a parent, what you experienced is a nightmare
    that terrifies every parent.
        All of us want to avoid tragedies like that happening in
    the future. At the same time, firearms in the home can be
    critical for defending the home. It can be critical for
    defending members of the family from violent crime. One example
    of that, that we will hear from today, occurred on November 5,
    2017, when a vicious murderer walked into the sanctuary at
    Sutherland Springs First Baptist Church in Texas and started
    shooting innocent churchgoers.
        Stephen Willeford, who I have since gotten to know quite
    well and who will be a witness today, Mr. Willeford was a
    neighbor just down the street, and he heard the shots. He went
    and got his weapon, which is an AR-15, and he ran down the
    street, and engaged with the shooter. His heroism saved lives
    that day. His heroism was extraordinary. I can tell you, I was
    in that sanctuary the day after that shooting, and it remains
    one of the most horrific things I have ever seen to stand in
    that beautiful church, where a deranged madman committed an act
    of unspeakable evil.
        Mr. Willeford's weapon was secured in a gun safe, and the
    time it took for him to remove it from the gun safe slowed down
    his response time. One of the challenges that we all face is a
    slowed-down response time in an instance like that can mean the
    difference between people living and people dying.
        All across the country, people rely on quick access to
    firearms in their homes to defend themselves. A 2013 report
    ordered by the Obama administration CDC, stated that, quote,
    ``Almost all national survey estimates indicate that defensive
    gun uses by victims are at least as common as offensive uses by
    criminals, with estimates of annual uses ranging from 500,000
    to more than 3 million.'' We're not talking about one, or two,
    or a handful. This is the Obama administration estimating
    defensive uses of firearms. In other words, firearms used to
    prevent a crime, occur somewhere between 500,000 and 3 million
    times a year.
        If our objective is to save lives, and I believe all of us
    want to save lives, ensuring that people can effectively access
    their firearms to defend themselves and their families is
    critically important. Sometimes, the defensive use includes
    children defending themselves and defending their families. For
    example, earlier this year, a 12-year-old boy in Goldsboro,
    North Carolina, shot two masked intruders, killing one of them,
    after they forcefully entered his home and shot the boy's
    grandmother.
        In 2018, a 15-year-old girl, who was also from North
    Carolina, and who had been trained on how to shoot and safely
    handle firearms, grabbed a gun hidden in her house for
    protection and shot her mother's abusive boyfriend, after he
    had attacked her mother and threatened to kill her. If the
    firearms that these minors had used to defend themselves and
    their families had been inaccessible, the consequences could
    very well have been devastating.
        When we talk about safe storage, we have to keep in mind
    that restricting quick and ready access to a firearm
    potentially comes at a serious cost to people's lives. We
    should be encouraging people to make responsible choices that
    balance the risk of accidents with the need for self-defense.
        That's exactly what many of the voluntary programs across
    the country have been doing. For example, Project Child Safe,
    run by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, provides gun
    locks free of charge. I will tell you this is an issue on which
    there can be bipartisan cooperation.
        When it comes to Project Child Safe, it so happens that I
    have a very personal history with that project, because in the
    years 1999 and 2000, I was a policy staffer, working on the
    George W. Bush Presidential campaign. As a policy staffer
    responsible for domestic policy, I was the 28-, 29-year-old
    staffer who designed the very first Project Child Safe, and
    drafted the briefing paper, and presented it to then-Governor
    Bush. Governor Bush agreed and campaigned for President, in
    2000, on Project Child Safe on providing gun locks, free of
    charge, to the millions of Americans who don't have gun locks
    so that they can better protect themselves, their families,
    their children, the friends of their children.
        That project ended up being announced, campaigned upon, and
    when George W. Bush was elected, implemented. Today, Mr.
    Bartozzi works very directly with it. I have to say it is
    encouraging, now, the millions of child locks that have been
    given out that came from an idea a 29-year-old kid had sitting
    in a cubicle, that has since been implemented.
        Critical to that is that it is voluntary, that it is
    providing child locks, so you have the equipment, free of
    charge, so the cost is not a barrier to being able to lock a
    firearm, but it is not mandatory. I believe people can and
    should make a judgment about what the needs of their home, of
    their neighborhood, and protecting their family are.
        The bill that Senator Blumenthal has, I think, goes too far
    in terms of mandating a Federal rule for everyone. For example,
    the bill would prevent a family with teenaged children in a
    crime-ridden neighborhood from choosing to keep a firearm
    somewhere where it could be quickly and easily accessed for
    self-defense. It would empower the Federal Government to
    enforce that law, coming into the family's home, and
    potentially arresting the parents and seizing the firearm.
        Not only that, it would make it a Federal crime for the
    children I mentioned earlier, the children who defended their
    homes and defended their families with a firearm, to have
    access to the weapons that saved them and their loved ones. I
    don't think that makes sense. I don't think that's an
    approach----
        And by the way, whether or not children have access to
    firearms, I think, varies widely, depending on the age and
    maturity of the child. It is a different thing for a parent of
    a 16- or 17-year-old child at home who's trained in how to
    handle a firearm, making the decision that that child should be
    able to defend himself or herself in the case of a violent
    intruder, than it is to allow elementary school kids to play
    with loaded firearms. There's a full spectrum that responsible
    parents should make judgments of when it is appropriate and
    when it is not appropriate to put a minor in a position to be
    able to defend himself or herself.
        All of us want to prevent firearm accidents. It is tragic.
    It is horrific. I can tell you, in our home, our girls are 10
    and 13, and our firearms are locked away, and they don't have
    access to them, because we're not at a point where we think
    that is a reasonable judgment to make, but I don't know that
    there would never be a point where we would make the judgment
    that it makes sense to give them access to it if needed.
        I think there's a lot we can do as a voluntary matter. I
    think there's a lot we can do with education. I think there's a
    lot we can do encouraging the use of safe storage. I also think
    we have an overlay of civil liability laws that if you have
    individuals that are behaving irresponsibly, they face
    potentially enormous civil liability. But I don't believe a
    Federal, criminal mandate is the right approach to this issue.
        Chair Blumenthal. Thanks, Senator Cruz. We've been joined
    by Senator Whitehouse. Thank you for joining us. I'm going to
    introduce the witnesses, and then we'll--I will swear them in,
    as is the custom on the Judiciary Committee. Then we'll have
    your testimony.
        Kristin Song is from Guilford, Connecticut. She became a
    gun safety activist after her 15-year-old son, Ethan, was
    killed with an unsecured gun in a neighbor's house. When she
    learned that the negligent gun owner would not be charged, Ms.
    Song was determined to strengthen Connecticut's safe storage
    law. Her approach in the Connecticut State Legislature was
    instrumental, in fact, decisive, in bringing together lawmakers
    from both sides of the aisle to find common ground and help
    kids--keep kids safe.
        Ms. Song's advocacy was instrumental in passing Ethan's Law
    in Connecticut. In 2019, she and her husband, Mike, created the
    Ethan Miller Song Foundation to honor the causes that were
    important to Ethan: veterans, animals, standing up for those
    who are vulnerable or marginalized.
        Mr. Stephen Willeford is a native of Sutherland Springs,
    Texas. An avid sportsman, he began shooting at a young age, and
    honed his skills by participating in competition as he grew
    older. He made sure his three children were trained in gun
    safety, passing along his expertise. Following the deadly mass
    shooting in Sutherland Springs in November 2017, Mr. Willeford
    became known as, quote, ``the good guy with a gun,'' end quote,
    having disrupted the shooter. Stephen credits his faith and
    preparedness as to why he was able to step in during the
    critical accident to that training.
        Dr. Maya Haasz is a board-certified pediatric emergency
    medicine physician at Children's Hospital, Colorado, and an
    assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado
    School of Medicine. She's a researcher focused on firearm
    injury prevention and founded and chair--chairs the Firearm
    Injury Prevention Collaborative at Children's Hospital in
    Colorado.
        Joe Bartozzi is president and CEO of the National Shooting
    Sports Foundation and the Sporting Arms and Ammunition
    Manufacturers' Institute. He also serves as chairman of the
    Project Child Safe Foundation. He has spent roughly 40 years in
    a variety of technical and executive management roles in the
    manufacturing sector.
        Dr. Ted Bonar is a clinical psychologist and director of
    End Family Fire at Brady, and executive director at Clinical
    Readiness Project. He's a nationally recognized trainer and
    speaker at conferences and universities, and he's known as a
    subject-matter expert in suicide prevention, lethal means
    safety, military and veteran mental health concerns, and PTSD.
        I'll ask all the witnesses to please stand and raise your
    right arm.
        [Witnesses are sworn in.]
        Chair Blumenthal. Let's begin with Kristin Song.

                       STATEMENT OF KRISTIN SONG,

                         GUILFORD, CONNECTICUT

        Ms. Song. Good afternoon, Chairman Blumenthal, Ranking
    Member Cruz, and Members of the Subcommittee. Thank you so much
    for inviting me.
        I once knew a woman. Her eyes sparkled. Her posture was
    relaxed, her movements deliberate and full of energy. She
    smiled, laughed, and loved to tell anyone who would listen,
    ``Seize the day.'' She lived her life that way. The pleasures
    in her life were her family, and her greatest joys were her
    children. Her heart was full of gratitude.
        Her children grew into teenagers, and she fell more in love
    with them, even when she received phone calls, ``Mom. I'm okay,
    but the car is totaled. Mom, don't freak out, but I broke my
    nose in three places at baseball practice.'' Or when the school
    called to inquire if her third child was planning on handing in
    any homework, ever. She understood these were trials and rites
    of passage. They were surmountable and good learning lessons
    for her children.
        I saw that woman on January 31, 2018. She and her son had a
    fun and relaxing morning together. He got his braces off, and
    he was so happy. She took a picture of him with his new smile
    and sent it off to her husband. They headed off to breakfast to
    celebrate, and her beautiful boy told her about his hopes and
    his dreams. He wanted to go to Rice University, join the Army,
    marry, and have seven children.
        They returned home, and her beautiful boy walked to his
    best friend's house. An hour later, the woman saw two police
    officers walking across her lawn. Her heart sank. She heard the
    ambulance scream by her street, carrying her beautiful boy.
        They raced to the hospital, praying that their beautiful
    boy was still alive. She ran into the hospital and headed
    toward the bays, where her beautiful boy lay. But she was
    stopped and guided to a tiny room. The ER doctor slid down the
    wall, put his head in his hands, and whispered, ``Your
    beautiful boy is gone.'' She crawled into a fetal position. She
    just wanted to disappear.
        Her husband called their daughter and son. She will never
    forget the raw, guttural sobs that escaped from their mouths.
    She begged to see him. She needs to tell him again that he is
    so loved and cherished, to kiss his forehead, to tuck him in
    one last time. She was the first to welcome him into this
    world, and she wanted to be the last to say goodbye.
        The doctor chokes out, ``He's unrecognizable,'' even to her
    eyes. While her family walks out of the hospital, her beautiful
    boy is being wheeled to the morgue. The woman and her family
    sit in silence on the car ride home. There's nothing to say.
    You can't fix death.
        I saw that woman on February 1, 2018. Her eyes are dull.
    Her posture, slumped. Her movements, as if by rote. She's in a
    stupor. Her smile has turned to tears. Her energy is gone. The
    pain that she feels is similar to holding your hand over a hot
    flame, intense, unrelenting pain. She can barely breathe. She
    doesn't sleep much, and when she does, he calls to her. She
    frantically tries to reach him, but he slips through her
    fingers and slowly fades away.
        She would have had traded--she would have traded places
    with him in an instant. She would have laid down her life to
    save his. She sits with her coffee in the kitchen and
    contemplates suicide. No more pain. But her other son grabs her
    hand and says, ``I would not survive if I lost another member
    of this family.'' How did he know? Was it so obvious? She now
    knows she has no other choice but to live.
        My name is Kristin Song, and I am that woman. The beautiful
    boy was my 15-year-old son, Ethan. He was shot in the head in
    his best friend's house with an unsecured gun. He had zero
    chance of survival. The father, the gun owner, stored his three
    guns and bullets in a shoe box.
        What would you do never to be asked these questions by a
    funeral director: ``Do you want to bury or cremate your child?
    Or do you want a lock of their hair? I'm sorry, that is all
    that I can offer you.''
        To avoid having to answer those questions, would you use a
    biometric safe that opens in just a few seconds, just to secure
    your guns? I wanted to thank all of the gun owners, especially
    Senator Cruz, who secures their weapons, because Ethan would
    have been safe in your house. He would have walked out of your
    home and into my arms.
        While I applaud all of the organizations that emphasize
    that it is the gun owner's personal responsibility to secure
    their guns, that is clearly not enough. If it were, I would not
    be here today. I would be home with my son, running around,
    looking for his lacrosse uniform that always seemed to be lost,
    peppering him with questions about his day, and stopping by his
    bedroom at night to let him know that I love him.
        We need laws, like Ethan's Law, to mandate safe storage and
    save lives. The gun owner could have saved Ethan's--the gun
    owner could have saved Ethan in the time it takes to draw one
    breath by simply locking up his guns. If he had, my beautiful
    boy, with his infectious smile, would be walking across the
    stage to accept his high school diploma next month. Instead,
    that night, while his friends are throwing their caps into the
    air, I will be sitting at Ethan's grave, and the only one
    speaking his name will be me.
        Thank you.
        [The prepared statement of Ms. Song appears as a submission
    for the record.]
        Chair Blumenthal. Thank you. Mr. Willeford joins us
    remotely, and I'd like to call on him now.

                    STATEMENT OF STEPHEN WILLEFORD,

                       SUTHERLAND SPRINGS, TEXAS

        Mr. Willeford. Hello. My name is Stephen Willeford. I'm
    from Sutherland Springs, Texas. I'm here to tell you about
    decisions made on November 5, 2017, and the consequences of
    those decisions. This is the hardest statement that I will ever
    make in my life.
        I have been a gun owner all of my life. I own a safe
    because I thought it was the responsible thing to do. I kept my
    rifles and my handguns locked away because nothing bad happens
    in my town, until it did.
        On November 5, 2017, an evil man opened fire into the First
    Baptist Church, Sutherland Springs, where 49 of my friends were
    gathered to worship. This man brought a vehicle full of
    firearms and ammunition that he obtained because the government
    failed to enforce its own pre-existing laws.
        When I recognized what was going--what I was hearing was
    gunshots, I flew into action. Imagine yourself running down the
    hallway to your house and fumbling with a lock on your safe.
    Imagine hearing each shot ringing through the air, knowing that
    one of your community members is on the receiving end of each
    bullet, knowing that you're not fast enough.
        I grabbed my AR-15. I grabbed a handful of ammunition,
    eight rounds. I ran to my front door, loading the gun as I ran.
    How much time had I taken? I timed it now, it's about 2
    minutes. I could have shaved--saved 90 seconds off if my
    firearm had been loaded and not locked behind a giant, steel
    door. I timed that too. 90 seconds does not sound like a lot,
    but to me, it will always be the longest 90 seconds in my
    lifetime, and my greatest regret.
        The police officers in our county are some of the best.
    They did everything they could to respond to the active
    shooter. But as Chris Byrd wrote, ``When seconds count, police
    are only minutes away.'' It took 19 minutes for the police to
    make it across the county to our town. After the first 911
    call, every second counted. It was my community--I was my
    community's first responder. I didn't even pause to put on my
    shoes.
        The gunfire continued. I yelled as I drew closer, and the
    shooter heard me. My voice made him stop killing my neighbors
    and face me. Seconds before I heard--before he heard me, he
    shot Kris Workman in the spine, paralyzing him from the waist
    down. If I had had my firearm ready, would this young husband
    and father still be able to walk today? I had never asked who
    was shot before Kris. I can't bear to know.
        Forty-nine people went to church that morning. Twenty-six
    didn't make it out alive. Not one person walked out of the
    church without an injury. Firearms did not commit this
    atrocity. Don't get this story wrong. Evil did this. My firearm
    stopped it in its tracks. How much faster would I had been able
    to respond, if I had my gun ready?
        In contrast, let me tell you about April Evans. April Evans
    is a young mother from Virginia. One night, when April was home
    alone with her 2-year-old daughter, a criminal began busting
    her door down. April had her gun. She called out, warning him,
    but he didn't stop. As he burst into her house, April fired,
    brought him down, and held him at gunpoint until the police
    arrived.
        Imagine if April had not--had to fumble with a safe.
    Imagine if politicians had passed a law mandating that April
    was not allowed to do what she did, was--had to have it in a
    locked safe. Would she have had time to protect her daughter
    and herself? There are a lot of things that we can learn from
    these stories.
        First is the importance of the Second Amendment.
        Second is the importance of preparedness.
        No one thinks that something like this can happen in their
    communities, but it can. I will always be haunted by those 90
    seconds wasted, getting my gun from the safe and loading it. I
    will never again keep my firearms unloaded in a safe. Whether
    or not this law passes, I will not comply. I won't make that
    mistake again. It came at too high of a cost.
        The answer to our problem is not restrictions. It's an
    informed public. It's in educated kids on gun safety from an
    early age. Government stepping into individuals' homes and
    dictating how they can act in each circumstances, legislating
    how they are allowed to defend themselves and their families
    will not end well.
        We, as individuals, are responsible for the decisions we
    make in our own homes. We have that right. Our Government is
    there to protect and support that right, not legislate it.
        Each of you made a promise when you were sworn into our
    office. When people ask me how many lives I think I saved that
    day, my answer is always the same: not nearly enough.
        I want to thank the United States Senate and this Committee
    for allowing me to speak today.
        [The prepared statement of Mr. Willeford appears as a
    submission for the record.]
        Chair Blumenthal. Thanks, Mr. Willeford. We're going to go
    to Dr. Haasz.

                 STATEMENT OF DR. MAYA HAASZ, ASSISTANT

               PROFESSOR, PEDIATRICS-EMERGENCY MEDICINE,

                 CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL COLORADO ANSCHUTZ

                    MEDICAL CAMPUS, AURORA, COLORADO

        Dr. Haasz. Thank you, Chairman Blumenthal and the Members
    of the Subcommittee, for the opportunity to testify here today.
    My name is Dr. Maya Haasz, and I'm here today representing
    Children's Hospital, Colorado, and the Colorado Chapter of the
    American Academy of Pediatrics.
        Chair Blumenthal. Dr. Haasz, I think you need to press your
    microphone button. Thank you.
        Dr. Haasz. Sorry. That's better? Thank you, Chairman
    Blumenthal and Members of this Subcommittee, for the
    opportunity to testify here today. My name is Dr. Maya Haasz,
    and I'm here today representing Children's Hospital, Colorado,
    and the Colorado Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
        I've been a pediatric emergency medicine physician for 10
    years now. In that time, I've seen many firearm injuries,
    including in children as young as 2 years old, which could have
    been prevented by safe storage requirements. The lucky ones
    survive with any number of visible scars, to carry along with
    the emotional and psychological trauma that they and their
    families carry forward. Those who do not survive leave behind a
    world of grief. The cry of a parent whose toddler died is
    agonizing in any circumstance. When that child has been fatally
    shot in a preventable accident, the added layers of guilt and
    what if add a new, almost tangible layer of pain for all
    involved.
        Firearms are the second leading cause of death in children
    in the United States. On average, more than 17 children are
    injured by a firearm every single day. On average, more than 32
    die every week in the United States. Something has to be done
    to protect our kids from the dangers of unsecured firearms.
        I thought about this a few months ago when a 14-year-old
    came to the emergency department after a suicide attempt by
    drug overdose. Minutes after his attempt, he felt a moment of
    remorse and told his parents what had happened. They called an
    ambulance. They brought him to us. We took care of him, and he
    survived. This same story happens multiple times a week in my
    emergency department. After receiving medical and emotional
    help, suicidal patients get another chance at life, and the
    vast majority do not go on to die by suicide. But firearms are
    uniquely lethal. I knew that that 14-year-old boy probably
    wouldn't be there for us to help had he used a gun.
        More than 90 percent of those who attempt suicide with a
    firearm do not have the chance to change their mind. For
    adolescents, over 80 percent of these firearms are found in
    their home, and most belong to a parent. These are the
    realities that I see play out in my line of work every day.
        Over the last year, the COVID-19 pandemic has complicated
    my job somewhat. I had to learn ever-changing processes and
    keep pace with new evidence. But COVID also showed us what's
    possible when research and public awareness are combined to
    save lives. As the pandemic progressed, we got better at
    treating patients, and the community stepped up to stop the
    spread. Now there's less fear and uncertainty, and we are so
    far ahead of where we were.
        This needs to happen with gun violence too. The idea that
    we could solve these problems in this manner isn't new. In
    fact, we see it in many industries. Look at the auto industry.
    When a greater emphasis was put on researching the
    effectiveness of seatbelts and improving car safety standards,
    new data-driven safety requirements reduced deaths for motor
    vehicle collisions for minors by 38 percent between 2007 and
    2016. In that same time, the rate of firearm-related mortality
    among children and adolescents stayed the same.
        What's the difference here? When it comes to firearm-
    related deaths, there is a distinct lack of data-supported
    public health interventions that is supported by State, local,
    and Federal Governments, and particularly as it relates to safe
    storage.
        Reducing firearm deaths is not just a public health issue,
    it's a public health emergency, and we have a duty, to
    ourselves and to our children, to act. We have a road map. We
    need to do what we did to decrease deaths from COVID-19 and for
    motor vehicle collisions. We didn't resort to drastic measures
    such as removing all the cars from the road. We identified ways
    to make commonsense changes that have a meaningful impact, and
    the same can be done with firearms.
        Firearms sales are on the rise, and 4.6 million children in
    the United States live in homes with at least one loaded and
    unlocked firearm, putting them at higher risk of shootings.
    Curious toddlers are at risk. Individuals experiencing crises
    with access to firearms are in serious danger, as are women and
    children vulnerable to domestic abuse. For them, home can't be
    a refuge until we act.
        Federal law doesn't require gun owners to securely store
    their firearms when children are present in the home. Twenty-
    nine States--or now it's 33--and the District of Columbia have
    some form of law to do so, and many have seen suicide and
    unintentional gun deaths and injuries among minors drop by up
    to 54 percent.
        Because of my experiences, I testified in March before the
    Colorado State Legislature to support such a law, which was
    thankfully enacted. I urge the Members of this Subcommittee to
    consider and act upon similar legislation at the national
    level, including Chairman Blumenthal's bill, Ethan's Law, which
    would set a national standard for the storage of firearms in
    residences where children live, and Chairman Blumenthal's Safe
    Gun Storage Act, which would establish consumer product safety
    standards for firearm locks and firearm safes.
        I'm here for the 5-year-old boy who is paralyzed from the
    waist down by a stray bullet that struck him while he was just
    playing outside, and now has to come to the emergency
    department every time he has a fever. I'm here for the toddler
    who came to our hospital, shot while playing with her sibling,
    for her family who will agonize over her death, and whether
    they could have prevented it. I'm here for the youth, who in
    their moment of crisis, found a gun to use in their suicide
    attempt. They usually don't make it to their--to our hospital.
        I wish I could share their names or their stories, or more
    of their face--or their faces so you could understand that
    these could be your neighbors, your grandchildren, your
    children that I'm trying to protect. I know that the vast
    majority of gun owners keep their firearms safely away from
    children and adolescents; however, too many do not. Keeping
    children safe should not be--from firearms should not be a
    personal choice. I implore you to pass legislation that will
    ensure that firearms are properly locked so that children do
    not have access to them. No more broken families. No more
    needless injuries and deaths.
        Thank you.
        [The prepared statement of Dr. Haasz appears as a
    submission for the record.]
        Chair Blumenthal. Thank you very much. Mr. Bartozzi.

                STATEMENT OF JOSEPH BARTOZZI, PRESIDENT

                   AND CEO, NATIONAL SHOOTING SPORTS

                    FOUNDATION, NEWTOWN, CONNECTICUT

        Mr. Bartozzi. Thank you, Chairman Blumenthal, Ranking
    Member Cruz, Members of the Subcommittee. My name is Joe
    Bartozzi. I'm the president and CEO of the National Shooting
    Sports Foundation. I'm very proud to be here today to speak on
    this important topic.
        First of all, let me start by saying that no family should
    have to suffer the loss of a loved one in such a preventable
    tragedy as this, and we really feel bad. Especially being from
    Connecticut, I'm well-aware of the situation with the Song
    family, and it's a terrible thing that nobody should have to
    endure.
        But I will tell you this, that it is my personal commitment
    and the commitment of our industry, to educate and spread the
    word about safe storage, while at the same time respecting the
    right to keep and bear arms, and appreciating and acknowledging
    that every circumstance surrounding the ownership and storage
    of firearms is unique.
        To be clear on our position, we support the safe storage of
    firearms when they're not being used. In fact, we are outspoken
    advocates for safe storage, and we spend considerable time and
    energy creating the most comprehensive safe storage program in
    the world, which is Project Child Safe, as was mentioned
    earlier. However, we do oppose a Federal mandate, which would
    alienate gun owners, infringe upon State efforts in this area,
    impair the ability of armed self-defense, and create a new,
    vague, virtually unenforceable Federal law replete with legal
    implications and penalties.
        Now again, I will reiterate that we are terribly saddened
    by the fact that the firearm that Ethan found was not secured.
    Okay? But I can tell you, this is exactly why Project Child
    Safe was created in the first place. It specifically addresses
    the issue of accidents, misuse, and suicide by identifying
    several storage options to fit a wide variety of lifestyles.
        And I will say this, on a personal note, that we can take
    some solace that no organization has done more in this area
    than has Project Child Safe. Forty million Americans are safer
    today because of Project Child Safe. Just for those that may
    not be aware, I'll just touch on a few key points.
        Since 1999, Project Child Safe has given away more than 40
    million locks and safety kits. We've partnered with more than
    15,000 law enforcement and community partners, in all 50 States
    and U.S. territories, to spread the message of safe firearm
    storage. That doesn't include the millions that come to our
    website to download our pledges, our materials, and view our
    videos, to enhance safe storage in the home. In fact, in the
    past 20 years, fatal accidents involving a firearm have
    declined by 40 percent. The entire industry is behind this
    effort, and they're all part of making this thing possible.
        As an outgrowth of Project Child Safe, we are now actively
    involved in suicide prevention space, partnering with the
    American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, as well as the
    Department of Veteran Affairs, to bring suicide prevention
    messaging and safe storage to everyone everywhere. We have now
    documents and handouts in all States at firearm retailers and
    ranges, to prevent suicides from firearms.
        I just want to touch on, one anecdote here to talk about is
    that in 2013, then-Vice President Biden came to Connecticut
    post the Sandy Hook murders, and he took aside the then
    chairman of Project Child Safe, and he said, referring to
    Project Child Safe, ``You guys are doing a lot of good things,
    including the gun lock thing. This isn't just Joe Biden blowing
    smoke. I mean it.'' Even then, Vice President Biden recognized
    the importance of Project Child Safe and the value of education
    in the area of safe storage.
        I want to touch on one other point that I think is very
    important to make here. That is, the messenger matters in
    regards to dealing with firearms issues. We understand that
    this proposed law, as it's written, will create and could
    create additional mistrust and animosity between the Federal
    Government and gun owners. My concern here is that gun owners
    might tune out or not listen to the message if it's coming from
    an authority, a mandate from the Federal Government.
        We're concerned about that, and we know from our experience
    with the VA and the AFSP that the audience is more likely to
    respond to a message if the messenger has credibility,
    experience, and has earned the trust of the audience. Being
    that we're the trade association for the firearms industry,
    it's clear that we have credibility in the regard to firearms
    and how to safely store them and handle them. People look to us
    for this information, and that, I think, is a very powerful
    message.
        We believe, as between training and education versus
    Federal mandates, education and training is more impactful. In
    fact, the General Accountability Office reported in 2017 that
    they--and this is a quote: ``Our review of the studies relating
    to safe storage approaches, that is device distribution and
    physician consultation, found that providing a free locking
    device to study participants influenced behavior to store
    firearms more safely, and physician consultation generally did
    not.'' Okay?
        They said, ``Project Child Safe is the largest and longest
    running program of this kind in the country, distributing now
    more than 40 million kits with cable-style locks.'' The GAO
    recognized that there is credibility in what we're saying, and
    they support the approaches we're taking.
        I'll leave you with one last point, and that is potential
    alternative approaches to a Federal mandate. As Senator Cruz
    indicated, Project Child Safe has been the recipient of two
    Federal grants over the years, one during the George W. Bush
    administration and one in the Obama-Biden administration. These
    were competitive grants which Project Child Safe was fortunate
    to win, and as a result, were able to spread the word of safe
    gun storage to millions of Americans.
        Possibly, the Government should talk about creating
    additional grant opportunities so that we can, again, magnify
    the reach and scope of this project. Right now, it's supported
    by donations, mainly from the industry, from individuals, some
    companies. But to have the Federal money to be able to make
    this on a larger scale, I think, will make a lot of difference
    for this.
        The other thing I would recommend is that in 2013, the NSSF
    supported creating a tax deduction for locking devices. This
    was H.R. 1883, introduced by Representative John Carter. It
    would have created a tax deduction for up to $1,200 for the
    purchase of a locking device. I know a similar bill was
    introduced last year by Representative Mike Levin of
    California, but the numbers were very small in terms of the
    rebates available. We would certainly believe that there's
    different approaches to the same--to deal with this problem,
    and perhaps in a more unifying manner than a Federal mandate.
        We would definitely welcome a new voice to the discussion.
    Thank you again for your time and attention. I appreciate it.
        [The prepared statement of Mr. Bartozzi appears as a
    submission for the record.]
        Chair Blumenthal. Thanks, Mr. Bartozzi. Mr. Bonar.

                STATEMENT OF DR. TED BONAR, DIRECTOR OF

                 END FAMILY FIRE, BRADY, WASHINGTON, DC

        Dr. Bonar. Thank you, and good afternoon. Chairman
    Blumenthal, Ranking Member Cruz, and distinguished Members of
    the Committee. My name is Dr. Ted Bonar, and I'm here today to
    speak to the importance of safe storage of firearms. I'm a
    clinical psychologist from Columbus, Ohio, with a specialty in
    the treatment of suicide, post-traumatic stress disorder, and
    working with service members, veterans, and their families.
        I've worked directly with the military-connected community
    throughout my professional career. I trained at the Jesse Brown
    VA Medical Center in Chicago. I've held clinical positions as a
    veteran expert at three universities. I have worked as a
    subject-matter expert with PsychArmor, and the Center for
    Deployment Psychology.
        I'm now the director of End Family Fire with Brady. Family
    fire is a shooting involving an improperly stored or misused
    gun found in the home, resulting in death or injury. End Family
    Fire is a national educational campaign that speaks directly to
    and with gun owners to increase the safe storage practices of
    firearms.
        Twenty-three thousand. It's an astounding, astonishing,
    devastating number. That is roughly the number of people living
    in America who will die by suicide using firearms this year.
    Suicide is complex, and there is one of--there is one variable
    that stands above all others as a determining factor. That
    variable is access to a firearm, because when a firearm is used
    in a suicide attempt, the result is death about 90 percent of
    the time. Put simply, we can effectively reduce the number of
    suicides in the United States through strategies that increase
    the safe storage of firearms.
        I'd like to make four important points about suicide and
    firearms.
        First, there's a common belief that the majority of people
    who die by suicide take action impulsively. However, most
    people who attempt suicide have thought about the plan and
    action well ahead of time. The moment of decision comes after
    experiencing incredible psychological pain, and the deep desire
    to be free of that pain. The word impulse implies that there is
    nothing we can do about any of this, and this is false.
        Second, firearms are the method of suicide that results in
    death far more than any other. Other methods of suicide
    attempts are much more frequent, such as the most common method
    of intentional drug overdose, which results in death about 2
    percent of the time. No other common method of suicide comes
    close to resulting in death 90 percent of the time.
        Third, when a person is at risk for suicide, an evidence-
    based strategy is to put as much time and distance between a
    person and the method as we possibly can. Safe storage
    practices, sometimes increased during the crisis, provide a
    temporary barrier between a person in crisis and a firearm.
    There are countless methods of safe storage of firearms that
    respect the rights of firearm owners while decreasing the
    likelihood that the firearm might be used in a suicide attempt.
        Fourth, there is a belief that if someone wants to die,
    they will end their life through any method possible. So if
    they don't have a firearm, they will simply reach for something
    else. But means for suicide are rarely substituted. The method
    a person chooses to attempt suicide is a personal decision. For
    gun owners or someone from law enforcement or a military-
    connected background, the lethality of guns is not an abstract
    concept. If a firearm is chosen, it is not easily substituted.
        We must also address the problem of suicide in the context
    of veterans and veteran households, as veterans use firearms in
    suicide attempts and die by suicide at a much higher rate than
    civilians. They also have much higher rates of gun ownership.
        I'll quickly share a few points from three friends of mine.
        One, a decorated Marine combat veteran says, ``I have to
    tell my buddy where and how I'm storing my guns. I can't always
    have them around, but I still own them.''
        A Navy combat veteran mom with two teenagers says, ``I have
    a biometric lock. Nothing less would do.''
        An Army veteran mom with a 3-year-old daughter worries that
    her kid could find the shotgun the family stores in the back of
    their closet.
        Safe storage of firearms is an evidence-based strategy to
    reduce the rates of veteran suicides as well as youth suicide
    and unintentional shootings that result in injury or death of
    children.
        I've included more information on each of these in my
    written testimony, and I'd be happy to answer any questions you
    might have. Safety and security are common-ground values for
    most Americans who own guns and those who reduce--those who
    work to reduce the likelihood of unintentional injury or death
    by suicide. Safe storage of firearms in the home is a principal
    solution to reducing gun violence and respecting constitutional
    rights. Laws around safe storage have been upheld by the
    courts, and the research is conclusive: Safe storage saves
    lives.
        I am grateful for the opportunity to testify here today,
    and I look forward to your questions.
        [The prepared statement of Dr. Bonar appears as a
    submission for the record.]
        Chair Blumenthal. Thank you very, very much, Dr. Bonar. I'm
    going to ask Senator Whitehouse to go first with his questions
    because he has another commitment, and then ask the Ranking
    Member to go ahead. I'm going to be here for the duration, so
    I'll hold my questions.
        Senator Whitehouse. Thanks. I have a question for Dr.
    Haasz. First of all, thank you for being here all the way from
    Colorado.
        You heard Mr. Willeford say that he was never again going
    to keep his firearm unloaded in a safe, that he was always
    going to have it loaded and available for himself from here on
    out. If that were the state of firearm safety in homes across
    America, what do you think the likely outcome of that would be
    in your emergency rooms?
        Dr. Haasz. I think the outcome would be devastating. Quite
    frankly, I'm not sure that these kids would make it to our
    emergency rooms. We know from modeling that even a modest
    increase in safe storage in homes would significantly decrease
    injury and mortality to youth. We also know that in States that
    have child access protection--prevention laws and States that
    have safe storage laws, there has been a significant decrease
    in injury and mortality among youth.
        I am sorry--the personal experience he has, I can
    understand. But if that was the standard, I think that would
    have devastating consequences for our children.
        Senator Whitehouse. If households kept loaded firearms out
    and not in safes, could you make any general guestimates as to
    what the effect of that would be on either gunshot wounds
    coming into emergency rooms or, as you say, gunshot wounds that
    don't come to emergency rooms because the victim is the
    decedent?
        Dr. Haasz. Yes. I wouldn't be able to make specific
    estimates as to the number, but I could say that it would be
    much more significant just seeing how the injuries and
    mortality decrease when people do store their gun safely. I
    think that they would increase significantly if they don't.
        Senator Whitehouse. That would be the necessary corollary
    proposition. Correct?
        Dr. Haasz. Yes.
        Senator Whitehouse. Yes. Thank you very much for coming
    here. Thank you, Chairman Blumenthal for this hearing, and good
    luck with your legislation.
        Chair Blumenthal. Thanks, Senator Whitehouse. Senator Cruz.
        Senator Cruz. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you to each of
    the witnesses for your testimony.
        Mr. Bartozzi, your organization has distributed more than
    38 million gun locks, free of charge through local law
    enforcement agencies and over 15,000 communities across the
    United States. This voluntary program, known as Project Child
    Safe, has been so successful that even the Obama Justice
    Department awarded you with a $2.5 million grant to expand the
    program.
        Can you explain how this voluntary program works and what
    the results have been?
        Mr. Bartozzi. Basically, Senator, we have a lock giveaway
    program. We partner with law enforcement primarily, but also
    faith-based groups around the country, and they take the locks,
    and they distribute them to their parishioners, to their people
    in their communities. Recently, we had the Detroit Police
    Department go door to door and hand out Project Child Safe
    locks and materials. There was, about 2 weeks ago, Albuquerque
    had a drive-thru Project Child Safe event where a councilwoman
    there handed out the free locking device.
        We--you know, this is a nonjudgmental, no-questions-asked
    program. This is not an idea where we're going to check your
    credentials about gun ownership. We want people to be safe. We
    want people to have access to the means of safety right away,
    so that's why these locking devices are so important. They are
    immediately available to start using right then and there.
        Additionally, we have a comprehensive website which offers
    award-winning videos. We have checklists. We have a pledge that
    goes out to gun owners about securely storing firearms. One
    other thing about Detroit, recently two Detroit Pistons
    basketball players did a PSA, using our pledge as the basis for
    the PSA, and it was outstanding. Now, myself, I'm Celtics fan,
    so I'd love to see other teams get involved with this. But it
    was really encouraging to see members of various communities
    get involved and teach about safe storage.
        Okay. It's not just about a lock. All right? A lock is
    important, but more important is education and training. We
    talk about what households might be more affected, but it
    depends on how the children are raised in that household, what
    type of training and education they receive on firearms and
    safe firearm handling. It all goes together as one--you know,
    it's not one thing or the other. I think you need to have both.
        Again, the idea is that we make it voluntary. We have
    resources on social media, on multiple websites. We have
    availability to give away these locks. We've given away now
    over 40 million now. The number is up, and we're very proud of
    that fact.
        Again, it's about options. Right? Not everyone's
    circumstances are the exact same. What might work in your house
    might not work in someone else's. We explain there's biometric,
    there's digital, there is RFID, there's combination locks,
    there's key locks. Whatever fits your lifestyle, and your
    economic availability as well, because some of these safes are
    very expensive. We want to give people the means to do this
    right away to be safe right away, and encourage--encourage the
    use of these locks, but not mandate it.
        Senator Cruz. Mr. Bartozzi, I agreed with your testimony
    right up and to the point when you said you were a Celtics fan.
    I have to say, as a Houstonian and a die-hard Rockets fan,
    given the miserable season we had last season, I just found
    that deeply hurtful, although I will readily concede Larry Bird
    is one of the greatest players to have ever played.
        What did the data show about the effectiveness of Project
    Child Safe? If the objective is to expand the use of safe
    storage, does the program work? What do we know?
        Mr. Bartozzi. We know the program works in that, and I
    won't provide exact--I don't have the exact--but in the 20
    years that Project--22 years that Project Child Safe has been
    in existence, we know that fatal accidents have decreased by 40
    percent.
        Okay. Now, there is a lot that goes into that. Hunter
    safety classes, our own First Shots program, which we teach
    safety to first-time gun owners, and things of that nature all
    come into this. We also see that fatal accidents involving
    firearms at the lowest record--lowest point on record. Since
    1903, we now see that fatal firearm accidents are at less than
    500 per year. That, again, I will concede is 500 too many. I
    will not make that argument. However, we are seeing progress.
        We are seeing--and progress is a good thing because it
    shows that we can have an impact. All right? That's what we're
    looking for, is an opportunity to have an impact on the
    discussion, on the dialogue, and the ability to save lives.
    That's what we're very encouraged by.
        Senator Cruz. I'll note one study that researchers did
    find--found that the free installation of gun cabinets to 255
    households resulted in the rate of homes containing unlocked
    guns dropping from 95 percent, in the case of this study, to 35
    percent within the course of the year. If the objective is to
    actually have guns secured where--where they can't be misused
    by a child, there are proven results.
        Mr. Willeford, I want to turn to you. You and I have gotten
    to know each other quite well since the horrific mass murder in
    Sutherland Springs. I spoke with you the day after that murder.
    I would note, Mr. Willeford was at home, minding his own
    business, when the shooting started. As he described, he ran
    and got his gun, and he ran down the street, barefoot, didn't
    put on his shoes. He engaged with this mass murderer.
        He yelled out at him. The mass murderer fired at him
    repeatedly. He fired back. Mr. Willeford is an NRA rifle
    instructor. Even though the mass murderer was wearing body
    armor, Mr. Willeford struck him twice, which caused him to flee
    and stop murdering. In the case of this murderer, he murdered
    children, including infants.
        Mr. Willeford then pursued the mass murderer in a truck
    driven by a passer-by, and directed the police to where he was,
    and ultimately the mass murderer passed away from the injuries
    sustained in that gunfire.
        The heroism Mr. Willeford demonstrated that day was
    extraordinary. Mr. Willeford, I will never forget what you said
    that day, when I told you that State law enforcement and
    Federal law enforcement repeatedly said if you had not acted
    and not acted so quickly, that many, many more lives would have
    been lost that day. I thanked you for your incredible courage.
    Your response, you said you disagreed with the word courage.
    You said that you had never been more afraid in your entire
    life. At the time, I said, ``Mr. Willeford, courage is not the
    absence of fear. It is acting in the face of fear.''
        Thank you for the courage you had saving those lives. But
    having gone through that horrific Sunday morning, do you
    believe if you had been able to access your firearm more
    readily, and I would note you are trained, you are safe, you
    are a grown man. If you had been able to access it more
    readily, do you believe that more people would be alive today?
        Mr. Willeford. Thank you, Senator Cruz, for asking me that
    question because I truly believe there were 90 seconds. We
    timed it both ways, and it was 90 seconds. I need people to
    understand that I'm not advocating that no one keep their guns
    locked away. I think that the circumstances--your own personal
    circumstances will change the situations. My circumstances are,
    I don't have any young children in my house, and when I do,
    they are away from the children and taken care of where they
    cannot get to them.
        Again, as I stated, that if I would have been there 15
    seconds earlier, Kris Workman would still be walking, and
    carrying his 7-year-old daughter. I don't even want to know who
    was shot before Kris, because in a minute and a half, that's an
    eternity. Who else could I have saved on that day? That will
    forever haunt me.
        Senator Cruz. Thank you, sir.
        Chair Blumenthal. Thanks, Senator Cruz. Thank you all,
    again, for being here.
        Let me begin by joining the Ranking Member in thanking Mr.
    Willeford for the acts of heroism on that day in Sutherland
    Springs. Gratitude and admiration for his courage. I agree with
    Senator Cruz that it was courage.
        But just to make the point to him that far fewer than 90
    seconds would be required to use the kind of safe storage that
    is available now. On May 25, 2021, we have--
        [Holds up cell phone.]
        Chair Blumenthal. Technology, and it's on all of our cell
    phones, that enable us to press in less than a second. Or, if
    we don't like that, in again, less than a second, to access our
    phones----
        Senator Cruz. Senator Blumenthal, I would note you just put
    out on C-SPAN the code on your iPhone, so you might want to
    change that now.
        [Laughter.]
        Chair Blumenthal. I--My life is an open book. I recognize
    that it's happened before.
        But more to the point, Mr. Willeford, I would like to
    continue this conversation with you because our legislation
    applies to people who could, and I'm quoting I believe,
    ``reasonably expect for a child or someone else who should not
    have access to a firearm, to have that access.'' Let me just
    repeat. In the home of the neighbor where Ethan Song was
    playing, that family could and should have reasonably expected
    a child to have access because they had a child.
        Mr. Willeford has no children. He could be understood to
    have no reasonable expectation that a child would have access,
    or another person who should be denied access, like a convicted
    felon.
        This law is narrowly framed. It's not a blunderbuss, mass
    mandate overriding individual rights. Mr. Bartozzi has pointed
    out that there is all kind of technology now that enables
    quick, ready, easy, costless access to guns for self-defense,
    if they are needed. There's a whole debate about whether a
    person may do more damage and harm if untrained and
    unsupervised in a self-defense case. But putting aside that
    issue, just to allay Mr. Willeford's concerns about this law,
    it's narrowly framed. Technology permits access in far fewer
    than 90 seconds.
        By the way, although many would recommend that guns not be
    stored loaded, there's nothing in this law that forbids a gun
    to be stored safely and securely, but loaded, ready to be used
    in the kind of circumstance that Mr. Willeford encountered.
        Mr. Bartozzi, I must admit that I'm left scratching my head
    about the argument that, somehow, education and training are
    incompatible with this law. Maybe you could explain why that's
    so when we know from other safety--health and safety law that,
    in fact, education is promoted by people knowing that there is
    a legal requirement.
        Seat belts. Buckle up. Childproof caps. Be careful. There
    are educational campaigns designed around these laws. I will
    tell you in the State of Connecticut, as you well know, the
    Song crusade for Ethan's Law was hugely educational. It created
    a massive amount of awareness about this problem. Maybe you can
    explain your position.
        Mr. Bartozzi. Yes. Thank you, Senator, for the question.
    The--I may have misspoke here. Of course, education and
    training is paramount to everything that we do and everything
    that we stand for. There's no question there.
        The concern here, from my part, is that the bill creates
    what I would call a one-size-fits-all approach to this
    situation, not acknowledging that there are differences in
    circumstance from household to household, based on experience,
    education, and, in fact, training. Whether there are children
    in the house, for example, makes a big difference.
        I would--again, I don't want to beat this to death, but I
    think the penalty clauses in this bill make it somewhat
    difficult to comply with in that it's vague in what is
    reasonable and secure storage. Once a gun is stolen and used in
    a crime, that becomes the sole proximate cause of the action,
    which the gun owner then is liable for. I think that is
    certainly a bridge too far for a lot of people because you--
    even if it's proven that the gun was locked and reasonably
    secured, you have to go through facing prosecution, potential
    jail time, to clear your name of that, and try to prove it to a
    jury of your peers.
        I mean, I think there are elements here that we certainly
    agree upon. I mean, there is no question that we support safe
    and secure storage. We advocate, more than anybody else on this
    planet, we advocate for safe storage of firearms. We do. The
    record shows it very clearly. The concern is creating another
    Federal mandate that would punish gun owners for the acts of a
    criminal if the gun is stolen, right? The homeowner is a
    victim, yet if that gun is used in crime or a suicide, God
    forbid, that because a sole proximate cause. I think there
    becomes legal liability that I'm just not particularly
    comfortable with.
        So, yes. I agree with you that education, of course, is
    paramount. But I think there are elements of this law that I
    think just go too far to be in my comfort zone.
        Chair Blumenthal. Okay. If you were assured that a
    legitimate, law-abiding gun owner would not be charged as an
    aider and abettor in some crime committed by someone who stole
    his gun, which I consider, as a prosecutor, unlikely to the
    point of impossible, you would back this legislation?
        Mr. Bartozzi. I can't say that I would back the
    legislation. Of course, the devil is in the details. I would--I
    would certainly commit to taking a look at it, just like we do
    with of every other piece of legislation that comes up that
    affects the rights of gun owners and the firearm industry,
    which we represent.
        But I would also point out that the Protection of Lawful
    Commerce in Arms Act, in Section 5, does, in fact, require gun
    locks to be given out with every handgun. It is a defense if
    that gun was locked and is stolen and used in a crime. There
    are elements that cross over here that perhaps there is some
    consistency, compatibility.
        So I will commit to reviewing any proposed changes to this,
    absolutely, and have my office, and my staff work with your
    office as appropriate to review this.
        Chair Blumenthal. Let me say, the NSSF tells gun owners,
    quote, ``Always make absolutely sure that firearms in your home
    are securely stored, out of the reach of children and other
    unauthorized persons.'' It also advises them, ``Unloaded
    firearms can be secured with a firearm locking device to make
    them inoperable--inoperable, stored in a locked cabinet, safe,
    firearm vault, or storage case.'' You recognize that quote, I'm
    sure.
        Mr. Bartozzi. Generally speaking, yes.
        Chair Blumenthal. I think it would be an understatement to
    say that we may not agree on all the details, but it sounds
    like in practice, and in fact, NSSF supports safe storage as a
    practice, but not as a requirement.
        Mr. Bartozzi. That is correct.
        Chair Blumenthal. That's why NSSF opposes Ethan's Law at a
    Federal level. In your written testimony, however, you wrote,
    and I'm quoting, ``It is our belief that individual States, and
    not the Federal Government, are in the best position to make
    the determination of what is best for its citizens,'' end
    quote.
        Mr. Bartozzi. Yes.
        Chair Blumenthal. That's correct?
        Mr. Bartozzi. That is correct. And I believe that because,
    again, every situation is different. Some rural States, where
    hunting is more prominent and prevalent, they teach their
    children in different ways than perhaps people in more urban
    settings. I think the State legislatures are in a much better
    position to know the individual needs of their constituents
    than is the Federal Government.
        That's all--the point there is the States ought to have a
    say in this thing, rather than a Federal Government, one-size-
    fits-all mandate from Washington, DC. That is the--that was the
    reason why I put that in there.
        Chair Blumenthal. Let me ask you, Ms. Song. Did NSSF
    support the Connecticut State law, Ethan's Law?
        Ms. Song. Yes. One of the things that my husband and I did
    was we met with the CCDL. They were the first people that we
    spoke with about the law and about safe storage. I want to tell
    you that they sat down with us, and they were really proud
    about how they stored their weapons, because they did have
    children in their house, and they did understand how deadly
    these weapons were.
        I also wanted to share with you one of the Republican
    comments that was made to me, when they voted Ethan's Law out
    of Committee, by Representative Bizzarro. He shared with me
    that when he was young, his house was broken into, and he would
    never forget the fear that his family felt. And so he was going
    to make sure that his three daughters were protected from any
    intruders. But after listening to my story and hearing Ethan's
    story, he decided to go out and buy a biometric safe, and he
    places it now on his nightstand. He told me, ``We can do both.
    I can do both. I can protect my family, but I can also protect
    my children from any internal dangers.''
        It hadn't dawned on him that his children could gain access
    to his gun. You know, he felt like you could do both. You could
    protect your family at the same time as keeping the guns out of
    your children's hands.
        Chair Blumenthal. There were Republican legislators who
    supported it?
        Ms. Song. Yes. There was overwhelming bipartisan support. I
    want to say maybe 4 days after we talked about Ethan's Law,
    Vinnie Candelora, who is one of the Ranking Members in
    Connecticut's Republican House, not only supported it, but
    helped us champion the law.
        These were Republicans that had never voted for a gun
    legislation in their entire life, and I probably would bet they
    will not vote for another one. But they understood that this
    was not something that the NRA doesn't ask, that the NSSF
    doesn't ask for.
        That safe storage is--you know, I spent the weekend going
    through all of the material of the NRA and the NSSF, and there
    was not one place that I read or watched where it said that you
    should leave a loaded, unsecured firearm in your home if you
    have children. I'm just asking them to do exactly what they so
    meticulously and so brilliantly explained for each gun owner.
        We're not going after the responsible gun owners. We're
    going after the negligent gun owners, as in my case. Ethan's
    best friend grew up with guns. He was trained by the NRA on
    guns. His father took him to the shooting range. His father
    carried a gun for work. This was not a child who was unfamiliar
    with how to safely handle a firearm, and yet he went into his
    father's closet, pulled out the shoebox with the three guns and
    bullets, and introduced my son to what would be his ultimate
    death.
        Chair Blumenthal. Mr. Bartozzi, does the NSSF support
    Ethan's Law in Connecticut?
        Mr. Bartozzi. Senator, I don't recall if we actually came
    out affirmatively to support it. I don't believe we opposed it.
    Recalling that Connecticut already had a safe storage law
    already on the books.
        I would add just one other thing here. You know, what we're
    talking about from the NSSF perspective is a proactive approach
    to educating people. This--many of these laws would only come
    into effect after the tragedy has occurred. We're trying to
    prevent these things. Right? It's more important to prevent a
    tragedy than to deal with the pieces afterwards. Because who--
    what prosecutor is going to prosecute a family of a child who
    was killed by one of their guns? It would be very difficult to
    do so.
        We're trying to get ahead of this thing. We're trying to be
    ahead of the curve, educate people on what we believe to be the
    best practice here for keeping guns safely, but also
    recognizing there are different circumstances from household to
    household and from State to State.
        Again, we're looking at it from perhaps a different
    perspective. There's a lot of common ground here, but there are
    issues where we would not be comfortable.
        Chair Blumenthal. But NSSF never supported Ethan's Law. And
    it doesn't today.
        Mr. Bartozzi. I can't say that. I don't know, as I sit here
    today. I don't know.
        Chair Blumenthal. You represent that organization.
        Mr. Bartozzi. Indeed, I do.
        Chair Blumenthal. You speak for it today.
        Mr. Bartozzi. I support the----
        Chair Blumenthal. Will you support Ethan's Law today?
        Mr. Bartozzi. Are you asking if the organization
    affirmatively supported it when it was in legislation? I don't
    know. I don't know the answer. I just--I simply don't know as I
    sit here today.
        Chair Blumenthal. You don't know whether your organization
    supported Ethan's Law?
        Mr. Bartozzi. Supported it at the time?
        Chair Blumenthal. My recollection is that you didn't. In
    fact, that you made statements opposing it.
        Senator Cruz. I think he may be confused between your
    Federal bill----
        Chair Blumenthal. No. I'm talking about Connecticut.
        Mr. Bartozzi. In Connecticut. Okay. The law in Connecticut,
    we believed, went too far in some instances. Obviously, we
    support safe storage. That is the reason I'm here. That is the
    sum and substance of my testimony.
        Chair Blumenthal. I'm asking you about Ethan's Law in
    Connecticut, which you opposed. Correct? Now, you thought it
    went too far.
        Mr. Bartozzi. I----
        Chair Blumenthal. And I welcome your being willing to talk
    to us here, at the Federal level about the specifics as you
    just indicated. But I think it's important to recognize that
    even at the State level, despite your testimony here today, you
    opposed it then. Have you supported safe storage laws in any
    State?
        Mr. Bartozzi. We do oppose mandates for safe storage. We do
    support education and training. We support safe storage of
    firearms. Where we get concerned is the Government mandates and
    the penalties imposed on gun owners.
        So, the answer--well, the short answer is no. But we do
    believe there is common ground here, which is why we advocate
    for safe storage in the first place.
        Chair Blumenthal. The common ground is the same common
    ground we would have on seatbelts, where we agree seatbelts are
    important and necessary. By the same logic, you would oppose a
    mandate for seatbelts. You'd oppose other public health and
    safety measures.
        And so my understanding is that NSSF has never supported,
    indeed universally opposed, these kinds of laws elsewhere.
        I'd like to ask Dr. Haasz, because you've experienced this
    problem in a way that, I think, is difficult for us to
    comprehend. You've seen the ghastly, gruesome results that the
    paramedics wouldn't even show Kristin Song.
        Could you tell us whether you think that these kinds of
    laws can be preventative of these kinds of tragedies? Mr.
    Bartozzi has indicated again, somehow they're--they're
    incompatible, or they would diminish the effects of
    preventative action.
        Dr. Haasz. My concern----
        Chair Blumenthal. If you could turn on your microphone
    again.
        Dr. Haasz. Sorry. I could share my experiences both as an
    ER physician, which I have spoken about some, and also as a
    researcher because there is data to support--to support safe
    storage laws.
        Education, I agree, is critically important when it comes
    to safe storage. Much of my research is focused on providing
    this education, in the emergency department, to kids who are at
    risk for suicide, to families who own firearms who have
    toddlers in the house. However, I don't think education is
    enough. Education has to be coupled with mandates.
        Our kids, who are getting hurt, who are getting injured,
    don't get to vote. It's our responsibility to keep them safe.
        We know that multiple States have child access prevention
    laws that go to different extremes, and we know that the
    stronger child access prevention laws have improved--have seen
    steeper declines in their rates of injury and death for
    children. I actually do think that creating a policy is
    preventive. Creating laws isn't so that we can punish people.
    Creating laws is so that we could educate people about these
    laws, and they follow them.
        Creating laws about car seats wasn't so that we could
    punish people who don't put their kids in car seats. It's so
    that universally, now, people put their children in car seats,
    and children are not dying in car accidents. I think this safe
    storage law is very similar and provides the impetus for people
    to follow the laws, provides the impetus for us to educate
    families about safe storage, and really increase safe storage,
    and take care of our kids.
        Chair Blumenthal. Thank you. Let me ask Dr. Bonar. Do you
    agree that requiring safe storage would be preventative both in
    education and in encouraging people to adopt the kinds of new
    technology that is available?
        Dr. Bonar. Yes. Thank you, Senator Blumenthal. I do believe
    that public education and public health efforts that lead
    toward behavior change are what we need to move forward to
    prevent unintentional injury and the loss of life. I think that
    the examples that we just heard, whether it's car seats, or
    seat belts, and we have many others that we can talk about, are
    examples of this. I think that those are efforts that honor
    constitutional rights, as well as serve as broad public
    education that results in behavior change that saves lives.
        Chair Blumenthal. Thank you. I just have a few more
    questions, but I appreciate all of your patience, and the
    Ranking Members as well.
        Kristin, the Ranking Member mentioned legislation that
    would provide for tax deductions and grants. Is that enough?
        Ms. Song. No. But we don't oppose that. In fact, when we
    chatted with the CCDL, they said, ``Hey listen, we want an
    educational program a part of Ethan's Law,'' and we said,
    ``Absolutely, 100 percent.''
        Anything that will--anything that will create a cultural
    shift so that people naturally, instinctively, lock up their
    guns when children are around, you know, we don't--you know,
    we--in Connecticut, I will say that one of the things that I
    thought was so amazing was that we really put our partisan
    parties aside, we put our egos aside, and we spoke to each
    other as parents. And so, as parents, you know, we all agreed
    that our children's life, our children's safety was paramount.
        You cannot even begin to imagine the pain of losing a
    child. It is--destroys your world. It destroys who you are. It
    destroys your family. It destroys your community. My son, who
    is a senior at BC, asked me the other day as we were sitting on
    the couch, ``Do you think you'll ever be the old you? We miss
    the old you.'' The answer is no, you know? You're broken. You
    are forever broken. There's just no way to fix it.
        We are all for anything that brings this cultural shift to
    this country, so that people can own guns, defend their
    families, but, at the same time, keep children in their home or
    children who are visiting safe.
        Chair Blumenthal. I will just say, from my experience, that
    your remarkable attitude really brought people together on both
    sides of the aisle. It made this issue of safe storage
    distinctive and separate from other issues relating to gun
    violence, which is the reason why it had such overwhelming
    support.
        I agree with you also that tax deductions for people who
    purchase safe storage means and mechanisms, I would support
    it----
        Ms. Song. Our----
        Chair Blumenthal [continuing]. As part of a safe storage
    law.
        Ms. Song. Our foundation actually hands out, free of
    charge, biometric safes. We are absolutely, 100 percent for if
    you want your gun, go for it. But you need to be responsible.
        Chair Blumenthal. Grants for education programs?
        Ms. Song. Absolutely. You know, we've already started
    creating a curriculum in Connecticut. We're really excited
    because I think Connecticut is going to lead the way in
    educational curriculum for gun safety.
        Again, you know, we're not opposed to that. We totally
    agree that education could absolutely impact some children. But
    at the same time, there are some children, like Ethan, like his
    best friend, who was very educated on gun safety. Teenage boys,
    teenagers, they are stupid. They engage in risky behavior. As a
    parent, if you don't understand that, then you're kind of
    fooling yourself.
        I have not found one person yet who hasn't engaged in some
    risky behavior during their life, even though they've been told
    by their parents or have been educated that it was not safe or
    appropriate.
        Chair Blumenthal. Again, extending the analogy to the seat
    belts, or the air bags, or other car safety features, the fact
    that we require seat belts, or air bags in cars doesn't mean
    we're taking away your cars.
        Ms. Song. Absolutely not.
        Chair Blumenthal. Or your license to drive them.
        Ms. Song. Absolutely not. Truly, I mean this from the
    bottom of my heart, we do not want to take anyone's guns away.
    We would really just want to create a cultural shift like we
    did with Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
        When I was in college, I was stopped at a sobriety
    checkpoint in upstate New York. I was not driving, but I
    remember, because I was shocked, the police officer leaned in
    and said, ``Who's the most sober in this car?'' You know, my
    friend raised her hand, and they switched. She wasn't the most
    sober in the car. That was the attitude back then, and it
    wasn't until we had this--you know, until we realized how many
    people and how many children we were losing to drunk driving
    did we make that cultural shift.
        My children--you know, when I say to them, ``Don't drink
    and drive.'' They look at me like I'm crazy. That's really how
    Mike and I envisioned this law. It's that people would--you
    know, in 20 years there would be just this incredible cultural
    shift, with the technology, so you could easily access your
    guns, so you could protect your family, but at the same time
    protect your children internally, in your home.
        Chair Blumenthal. In fact, many State laws authorize judges
    to require that there be steering wheel locks with breathalyzer
    tests for people who have violated laws against drunk driving,
    so that they can't even operate the motor vehicle----
        Ms. Song. Correct.
        Chair Blumenthal [continuing]. If they have had a drink.
    Let me just finish by saying to Mr. Bartozzi, I'll make a deal
    with you. And it's really an offer to my Republican colleagues.
    I'll support, and I do support, the tax deduction and the
    grants in H.R. 8631 and H.R. 1883 if you will support Ethan's
    Law.
        Mr. Bartozzi. Should I respond to that?
        Chair Blumenthal. I'm not going to ask you to say no now
    because I hope maybe we can--or yes. Because I hope you'll
    think about it. It is a very serious offer, and it's not meant
    to put you on the spot. It's not really meant to you
    personally. It's really meant to people who are thinking about
    this issue in good faith, and who want to save lives.
        You have testified in effect taking some credit for
    reducing gun deaths by your distribution of safe storage
    mechanisms. It is a matter of life and death. If we can reach a
    bipartisan consensus here--and I think it's within reach
    because it makes such commonsense--I think we can do a lot of
    good for a lot of people.
        Eight children every day unintentionally kill or injure
    people as a result of an unsecured firearm in a home. Even
    after all you've done, 40 percent of all the households that
    have guns do not practice safe storage. I think we can do
    better. I think the gun owners of America, more than 60
    percent, believe in safe storage. The vast majority of the
    American people believe in safe storage. Republicans, by I
    think it's 70 or 80 percent, believe in safe storage.
        I'm hoping that we can do better. This hearing has provided
    an important step in that direction.
        Senator Cruz, if you have any--I really want to thank you
    all for being here today. You have been excellent to Mr.
    Willeford and Mr. Bonar. Thank you. Thank you to each of the
    witnesses who is here in person. You've been extraordinary, and
    we thank you.
        This record will remain open for 1 week in case anyone
    wants to submit written questions. This hearing is closed.
    Thank you.
        [Whereupon, at 4:30 p.m., the hearing was adjourned.]
        [Additional material submitted for the record follows.]

                                A P P E N D I X

    Miscellaneous submissions:

     American Psychological Association (APA).........................    57

     Major Cities Chiefs Association..................................    56

     Sandy Hook Promise, Testimony of Nicole Hockley..................    59

    [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

                                     [all]