Aidan Lapatine and Logan Noorily, a Staples High School senior and junior, respectively, are marking the fifth anniversary of Ethan’s Law, signed in Connecticut in June 2019, by calling on the community to ensure all firearms in their homes are safely secured.

In a recent letter to parents co-signed by Westport Public Schools (WPS) Superintendent Tom Scarice and Westport Police Chief Foti Koskinas, Lapatine and Noorily, co-presidents of the Staples Students Demand Action (SDA) club, sought to bolster school and community safety by raising awareness about local and national gun storage laws. Their next steps include sharing the message beyond the WPS community into neighboring towns with the goal of widespread adoption and support.

“The members of SDA are committed to preventing gun violence,” said Lapatine. “Our safe storage campaign aims to educate parents and students on the risks associated with unsecured firearms. Notably, over 75% of firearms used in youth suicide attempts and unintentional injuries originate from the residences of the victim, a relative, or a friend.”

Lapatine and Noorily have demonstrated a strong commitment to this cause since their early years at Staples, leading various outreach and training initiatives. With guidance from their advisor, Staples social studies teacher Catherine Schager, they reinstated the SDA club last year and prioritized safe firearm storage awareness as their primary focus.

“As students deeply concerned about school safety,” said Noorily, “we believe that impactful change can begin on a local level. Promoting safe storage is simply common sense.”

In addition to their awareness efforts, the Staples SDA is distributing gun locks and engaging in grassroots lobbying to encourage lawmakers to support relevant legislation to expand secure storage or child-access prevention laws beyond the 26 states that currently have laws or practices in place.

“Many people assume that gun control can only be addressed through legislative action,” said Lapatine. “However, practicing safe storage is an easy and immediate step that everyone can take.” For more information on firearm safety, please visit the U.S. Department of Justice Safe Firearm Storage Guide.