On January 31, 2018, Kristin and Mike Song's 15-year-old son Ethan Song, accidentally shot and killed himself at his friend's house. They were handling a gun they knew was kept in a bedroom closet. The gun was one of three guns owned by the friend's father. They were in a cardboard box inside a tupperware container that was hidden in a bedroom closet. The guns had locks but the keys and ammunition were in the same box. 

The son was charged with manslaughter. The dad was not charged. There was a loophole in Connecticut's law. The Song's channeled their grief into political action that led to "Ethan's Law."

Today, we talk about how citizens can use their power of self-government to make change happen at a time when so many of us feel powerless. 

On January 31, 2018, Kristin and Mike Song's 15-year-old son <a href="https://www.wnpr.org/post/parents-watch-connecticut-house-pass-ethans-law">Ethan Song,</a> accidentally shot and killed himself at his friend's house. They were handling a gun they knew was kept in a bedroom closet. The gun was one of three guns owned by the friend's father. They were in a cardboard box inside a tupperware container that was hidden in a bedroom closet. The guns had locks but the keys and ammunition were in the same box.&nbsp;
The son was charged with manslaughter. The dad was not charged. There was a loophole in Connecticut's law. The Song's channeled their grief into political action that led to <a href="https://ctmirror.org/2019/05/23/ethans-law-wins-final-passage-in-senate/">"Ethan's Law."</a>
Today, we talk about how citizens can use <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/eric_liu_why_ordinary_people_need_to_understand_power">their power</a> of self-government to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8OG-bwgcNw">make change happen</a> at a time when so many of us feel powerless.&nbsp;

The Colin McEnroe Show is public radio’s most eclectic, eccentric weekday program. The best way to understand us is through the subjects we tackle: Neanderthals, tambourines, handshakes, the Iliad, snacks, ringtones, punk rock, Occam’s razor, Rasputin, houseflies, zippers. Are you sensing a pattern? If so, you should probably be in treatment. On Fridays, we try to stop thinking about what kind of ringtones Neanderthals would want to have and convene a panel called The Nose for an informal roundtable about the week in culture.

<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/the-colin-mcenroe-show/about">The Colin McEnroe Show</a> is public radio’s most eclectic, eccentric weekday program. The best way to understand us is through the subjects we tackle: Neanderthals, tambourines, handshakes, the Iliad, snacks, ringtones, punk rock, Occam’s razor, Rasputin, houseflies, zippers. Are you sensing a pattern? If so, you should probably be in treatment. On Fridays, we try to stop thinking about what kind of ringtones Neanderthals would want to have and convene a panel called <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/tags/the-nose">The Nose</a> for an informal roundtable about the week in culture.

Advertisement