Rep. Brewer Urges Colleagues to "Put Prayers into Action" After Another Ohio Child Dies from Gun Violence

COLUMBUS – State Rep. Darnell T. Brewer (D-Cleveland) today issued the following statement after a 3-year-old child was shot and killed in Eastlake, Ohio:

“Another mother is crying. Another family is planning a funeral instead of a birthday. Another child is gone because a firearm was not properly secured.

The heartbreaking death of the 3-year-old child in Eastlake is not just another headline. It is a painful reminder that accidental shootings continue to plague our communities, our District, and our state, and far too often, the victims are innocent children who will never get the opportunity to grow up, chase their dreams in Ohio, or even become taxpaying residents in Ohio. Another preventable tragedy that should never have happened in a state that proudly claims and promotes itself as “the heart of it all.”

This child now joins the names of children and families whose lives mattered and who should still be here today — Amya Frazier, Va'Nyiah Mason, Cartier Smith, Thomas J. Lucas, Angela Bates, and countless others whose names may never make headlines, but whose absence leaves permanent holes in the hearts of families and communities across Ohio.

When one mother cries, we all should cry.

Yet while families bury their children, many of my colleagues, especially the Majority, are held politically hostage to special interest groups, such as the Buckeye Firearms Association, even when it comes to promoting responsible firearm storage. Let me be clear: promoting secure storage does not violate the Second Amendment. Responsible gun ownership and constitutional rights can coexist.

We know secure storage works. We know education works. We know credible messengers matter. We know that simply encouraging families to secure firearms can save lives.

And yet, accidental shootings continue to plague our state while too many of my colleagues remain silent, held hostage by fear of upsetting powerful groups like Buckeye Firearms and the NRA, even when all we are asking for is the bare minimum: encourage your constituents to safely secure their firearms. Not a mandate. Not confiscation. Do not punish responsible gun owners. Simply encourage secure storage.

Ohioans listen to credible messengers, including their elected leaders. They will listen as we speak with one voice about protecting children. But too many leaders in the Ohio General Assembly Majority are afraid to speak at all.

AGAIN, I am pleading — begging — with my colleagues: Find your courage. Find your Heart, stop being weak, and stand up. Say something. Encourage secure storage. Even a resolution can save a life. If we cannot unite to protect children from preventable death, please look these families in the eyes and explain why you don't have the heart.

Who are we afraid of?  Why don't you have the Heart to tell Ohioans to protect children?

Why is it difficult to stand up and say that a loaded firearm should not be left accessible to a child? Ohio calls itself “The Heart of It All.”

To every Ohioan reading this: When a state legislator says, “We mourn” or “We pray,” I ask you to respond with one simple message: Put those prayers into action.

Because no parent should bury a child. No family should endure this pain, and no community should be forced to deal with it. And no elected official should remain silent while preventable tragedies continue to steal our children from us.

We can save lives in Ohio. We can prevent these deaths in Ohio. We can honor these children and families. But only if we choose courage over comfort, responsibility over fear, and action over empty words.”

In the 136th General Assembly, Rep. Brewer has introduced 15 gun violence prevention bills which can be viewed here.