Ethan’s Law is a Connecticut safe-storage statute that requires firearm owners to keep every gun either locked in a secure container or physically on their person at all times. It was signed by Governor Ned Lamont in June 2019 and significantly expanded in 2023. The same name is also attached to a federal bill that has been reintroduced in Congress several times, most recently as S. 726 and H.R. 1564 in the 119th Congress.1Congress.gov. S.726 – Ethan’s Law – 119th Congress (2025-2026)
Who Ethan Song Was
On January 31, 2018, twelve days after his fifteenth birthday, Ethan Song was killed by an accidental gunshot at a neighbor’s home in Guilford, Connecticut. The firearm had been stored in a Tupperware container inside a closet, sitting alongside the ammunition and the keys to the gun lock.2Office of U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal. Ethan’s Law One Pager The gun was technically stored, but nothing meaningful stopped a teenager from reaching it.
His parents, Mike and Kristin Song, campaigned for a law that would treat storage as an actual barrier rather than a gesture. Connecticut passed the first version in May 2019, and Lamont signed it the following month.3Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro. DeLauro, Blumenthal, and Murphy Lead Colleagues in Reintroducing Ethan’s Law Safe Gun Storage Legislation
What Connecticut Requires Today
Under Public Act 23-53, which took effect in 2023, every firearm on premises you control must be kept in a securely locked box or container, or stored in a manner a reasonable person would consider secure.4Connecticut General Assembly. Connecticut Public Act No. 23-53 – An Act Addressing Gun Violence The rule applies whether the gun is loaded or unloaded, and no matter who else lives in or visits the home.
The statute does not specify a brand or model. A dedicated gun safe, a lockbox, a cable lock threaded through the action, or a trigger lock can all satisfy the law, so long as the result would strike a reasonable person as genuinely secure. Dropping a firearm in an unlocked drawer or an unsealed container does not qualify.
The 2023 change is what makes Connecticut’s version one of the broadest storage mandates in the country. Earlier versions of the law only kicked in when a minor, a prohibited person, or someone at risk of self-harm might gain access. That conditional language is gone. You cannot defend an unsecured firearm by pointing out that no children live in the home or that everyone there is legally allowed to own guns. The duty is universal.
Exceptions
You do not have to lock up a firearm you are carrying on your body. The law also permits keeping a gun close enough that you could grab and use it as if it were holstered, which covers a loaded handgun on the nightstand while you are actually in the room.5Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection. Connecticut General Statutes 29-37i – Safe Storage in the Home or Place of Business Leave the room, and the firearm has to be secured.
There is a separate exception for theft. If a gun is taken during an unlawful entry, the criminal storage penalties do not apply, as long as you report the theft to police.6Justia Law. Connecticut General Statutes 53a-217a – Criminally Negligent Storage of a Firearm
Criminal Penalties
If you violate the storage requirement and someone obtains the firearm and injures or kills themselves or another person, you can be charged with criminally negligent storage of a firearm under § 53a-217a. That charge is a Class D felony, carrying up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.6Justia Law. Connecticut General Statutes 53a-217a – Criminally Negligent Storage of a Firearm
Prosecutors do not have to prove you intended any harm, or that you knew someone had touched the gun. They have to show you failed to store it properly and that the failure led to an injury or death.
Civil Liability
Connecticut also imposes strict civil liability. Under § 52-571g, if you fail to store a firearm securely and a minor or an ineligible resident obtains it and causes injury or death, you are liable for the resulting damages.7Justia Law. Connecticut General Statutes 52-571g – Strict Liability of Person Who Fails to Securely Store a Firearm Strict liability means the injured party does not have to prove you were careless. The storage violation is enough.
Recoverable damages include medical bills, funeral costs, lost income, and pain and suffering. Judgments can be substantial, and many homeowner’s policies limit or exclude coverage for firearm incidents, so a single event can carry both a felony conviction and a civil award the insurance will not touch.
The Federal Ethan’s Law Bill
A national version has been introduced repeatedly in Congress. In the 119th Congress it sits as H.R. 1564 in the House and S. 726 in the Senate, with Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut leading in the Senate.1Congress.gov. S.726 – Ethan’s Law – 119th Congress (2025-2026) The Senate version was referred to the Judiciary Committee in February 2025 and has not been scheduled for a vote.
The federal proposal is narrower than Connecticut’s current law. It would require secure storage only when a minor is likely to gain access without parental permission or when a household resident is legally prohibited from possessing firearms.8Congress.gov. S.173 – Ethan’s Law – Text That is closer to Connecticut’s pre-2023 approach: the duty is triggered by who else might reach the gun, not applied to every owner at all times. The carry and arm’s-reach exceptions carry over, and any storage method a reasonable person would consider secure would satisfy the rule.
Penalties under the federal bill would work differently. A storage violation with no resulting harm would carry a $500 fine per incident. If someone obtains the improperly stored gun and causes injury or death, the maximum jumps to five years in prison, a fine, or both. The bill would also authorize forfeiture of any firearm stored in violation, a remedy Connecticut’s law does not include.8Congress.gov. S.173 – Ethan’s Law – Text
How to Comply
Meeting the storage requirement does not have to be expensive. A basic cable lock or trigger lock can cost under $20 and will satisfy the statute. A dedicated gun safe offers better protection against theft and unauthorized access, with biometric models generally starting in the mid-hundreds and rising with size and fire rating. Full-size safes usually need floor anchoring and professional installation, which adds a few hundred dollars.
Project ChildSafe distributes free cable lock kits through law enforcement partners across the country. Distribution points are listed at projectchildsafe.org.9Project ChildSafe. Project ChildSafe Homepage A cable lock is not a substitute for a proper safe, but it will keep you within the law while you save for better equipment.
Whichever device you use, the legal test is the same. Would a reasonable person believe the firearm is secure from unauthorized access? If the honest answer is anything short of yes, both the criminal statute and the civil strict-liability rule are in play the moment something goes wrong.