After a bullying incident resulted in 13-year-old Bennie Hargrove getting shot and killed by a classmate, the Bennie Hargrove Gun Safety Act is being presented to the New Mexico legislation.
Rep. Pamelya Herndon (D-Bernalillo county) joined with Bennie's mother, Collette Wise, and the Albuquerque NAACP on Sat., Aug. 28 to announce the new measure. Herndon will be the one to propose the new legislation.
"I miss my son, and I am very hurt that he had to lose his life this way," Wise said to KRQE.
The shooting took place at Washington Middle School in Albuquerque, and the family's attorney is looking to sue the school, believing that the shooting could have been prevented with the proper intervention.
Wise also told KRQE News 13 that she hopes the death of her son will bring awareness to the outcomes of bullying.
“I would like for the world to know and the kids to know that being bullied – this is the outcome of it, and we have to do something to stop this around the world,” Wise said.
The new act, if passed, would require parents and adults to lock up any guns or other dangerous weapons to keep them away from children, and people who do not comply could face a fourth-degree felony.
Bennie's funeral will be held Sept. 4 at 11 a.m. at the New City Church and is open to the public.