Senate approves civil-negligence measure on negligent storage of loaded firearms after amendment

Senator Robert Steiner urged passage of Senate Bill 110 on the Senate floor, describing it as a civil-negligence measure that would allow injured parties to sue adults if a loaded firearm accessible to children caused injury. Steiner said the bill does not impose criminal penalties but establishes a lower civil standard for negligence in those cases and emphasized parental responsibility: "Have as many guns in your home as you want. If you keep them loaded, make sure that children don't have access to them," he told colleagues.

Supporters framed the proposal as a child-safety measure and an incentive for safe storage. Opponents raised practical concerns about the bill's scope and the definition of "access," debating whether certain storage locations (drawers, cases, vehicles) would create legal exposure and whether the bill should cover lower-force devices such as BB or air guns.

On the floor, Senators considered and adopted an amendment that removed BB guns and similar air guns from the measure's coverage and renumbered the bill accordingly. Several senators discussed how the amendment would affect the bill's practical operation and whether the negligence threshold was appropriate for civil actions involving children.

A roll call followed and the presiding officer announced that Senate Bill 110 passed third reading and would be transmitted to the House; the chair reported the final tally as 16 ayes and 12 nays. The measure, as passed, establishes a civil cause of action when a loaded firearm was accessible to a child and an injury resulted, subject to the statutory language adopted by the Senate.