A bill to require gun owners to safely store their weapons is getting attention from gun control advocates this week.
The measure from Democratic Rep. Bill Patmon of Cleveland prohibit anyone from keeping a gun in a house unless it’s locked up in a safe or has a tamper-resistant lock on it. According to the bill summary, the measure prohibits a person from storing or leaving a firearm in the person's residence if the person knows or reasonably should know that a minor could gain access to the firearm, unless the firearm is secured or rendered inoperable, or unless the minor gains access to the firearm as the result of another person's unlawful entry into the residence. It further states that the bill would not prohibit a person who is in the person's residence from carrying a firearm on the person's person or placing a firearm in a location that is under the person's immediate control. Patmon spoke to a group of activists who are lobbying lawmakers this week, and says his bill only makes sense.
Patmon noted that TJ Lane, who shot and killed three students and wounded three others at Chardon High School last year, found the gun he used on a workbench. Patmon’s bill was introduced a year ago and has two co-sponsored – both Cleveland Democrats – but has yet to have a hearing.
