Federal push underway to extend ‘Lucia’s Law’ nationwide

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine are behind the push to make “Lucia’s Law” a federal one, in addition to other gun reforms recently adopted in Virginia.

The law, named for 13-year-old Lucia Bremer, who was shot and killed by a classmate in Henrico three years ago, took effect in Virginia this month.

It establishes harsher punishments for anyone who allows children in their care access to firearms when they know the child poses a risk to themselves or others.

“We’ve not made near enough progress at the federal level on gun safety,” Senator Mark Warner said Friday.

In April, Warner and Kaine introduced the Virginia Plan to Reduce Gun Violence Act, which would extend a series of recent Virginia gun reforms to the federal level.

Included in that is “Lucia’s Law.”

“She seemed like an incredible young woman,” Warner said. “From the tragedy that took place here in Virginia, that the General Assembly passed and became law, I hope we can make that a national law.”

In March 2021, 13-year-old Lucia Bremer was shot and killed on her walk home from school by a 14-year-old classmate who was known to have mental health problems and had taken his father’s gun.

With bipartisan support, the Virginia General Assembly passed stricter penalties for caregivers who allow that scenario to happen.

Governor Glenn Youngkin signed it into law on the 3rd anniversary of Lucia’s murder.

“Lucia’s Law” officially took effect on July 1.

Her parents, Meredith and Jonathan Bremer, are now advocates for change.

They met with Warner in Washington in June, which he posted about later on social media.

“The way they wanted to honor Lucia was to be an advocate to try to make sure that maybe one of these tragedies could be prevented,” Warner said.

Virginia leaders in the U.S. House also introduced a companion gun reform bill on June 28, which would have been Lucia’s 17th birthday.

Meredith Bremer said that was really special.
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She also emailed 12 On Your Side this statement:

“We were honored to meet Senator Warner last month. He listened as we told him about our daughter Lucia and the ways in which we have advocated for change since her murder in 2021. During our meeting, we shared the reasons that Lucia’s Law was necessary and important for Virginia. We told him how Lucia had a gift for being able to make connections with everyone she met, and how it is not lost on us that the legislation named in her honor received wide bipartisan support. We applaud the recent action taken by Senator Warner, Senator Kaine, and Virginia representatives in the House to introduce Lucia’s Law and other common sense gun legislation at the federal level. Our hope is that politicians on both sides of the aisle will agree that Lucia’s Law can serve as a model for change across our whole country.”

The teen who killed Lucia was sentenced to 60 years in prison last year.

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