NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — Saturday will mark the second annual #KeepKidsSafe State of Connecticut Buy Gun Day and Safe Gun Giveaway to various communities. It is a collaborative effort between hospitals and police departments to reduce gun-related injuries by reducing the number of unwanted and unsecured guns in homes.
Kristin Song knows firsthand the devastating impact of an unsecured gun. Her 15-year-old son, Ethan, was killed in January 2018 at a neighbor’s house where guns were not properly stored.
“For me, if the gun owner had literally taken three seconds to lock those three guns, my son would be in college today,” Song said.
“The high school kids knew for about six months that these kids were playing with guns,” Song said. “They posted it on social media. Not one kid said anything to a parent, to a teacher, to an administrator, to an officer. I had six months to save my son.”
He has turned his pain into purpose by advocating for safe storage and strengthening the laws around it. Song and the Ethan Miller Song Foundation are participating in this event, which has been coordinated by the Newtown Action Alliance Foundation (NAAF).
NAAF was established after 20 children and six educators were shot and killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton on December 14, 2021.
“More than 1 million Americans have been shot since the Sandy Hook tragedy,” said Po Murray, NAAF President. “Four hundred thousand of those people have been killed by firearms: homicides, suicides, unintentional shootings and other types of shootings.”
At Saturday gun buyback events, firearms must be unloaded and placed in a clear plastic bag inside a paper bag or box and transported in the trunk of the car. Owners can remain anonymous and will receive gift cards, while supplies last:
Firearms can be dropped off from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, November 12 at the following locations:
Additionally, Hartford will accept unwanted firearms on Saturday from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM at the following location:
People can also donate non-operating guns, BB guns and ammunition, but gift cards will not be exchanged for these items.
“This is not about taking guns away from anyone,” said Dr. Brendan Campbell of Connecticut Children’s in Hartford. “This is about making firearms ownership as safe as possible for those people who want to keep guns in their homes.”
More than 530 guns, including 10 assault weapons, were collected and more than 300 safes were distributed at last year’s event, organizers said.
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