Henrico – Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor issued this statement on the Governor signing Delegate Rodney Willett’s bill, House Bill 36:
“3 years ago to the day, a troubled and violent adolescent easily was able to get a gun in his home, even after his guardian had been told of his violent tendencies, take that gun and murder an innocent 13 year old who was simply walking home from playing soccer with her best friend.
“As the Commonwealth’s Attorney charged with keeping our communities safe, this horrific tragedy required not only that the perpetrator be removed from our streets, which I am pleased to say I accomplished, but that in the future, troubled kids cannot just grab a gun from their home. I worked with Delegate Willett and testified in support of the bill, while advocating with other legislators, and we now have a bill – signed by the Governor – to be able to hold family members and responsible adults accountable when a child gets a gun and uses it to hurt or kill someone.
“Lucia Bremer should be alive today, attending school, chatting with her friends, playing sports, enjoying her family, but she is not because the murderer’s guardian chose to allow access to a deadly weapon even after warnings.
“Tragically, gun violence most frequently ends in death or serious injuries. No adolescent, no child should have unsupervised access to a weapon, especially when they have already exhibited warning signs. This is why I advocate so strongly for safe storage laws and for holding responsible adults accountable. I thank Delegate Willett for his legislation to avoid future tragedies such as this.
“Gun violence takes too many lives, and I will continue to fight for responsible gun violence prevention to keep our communities, our families and our children safe.”
