Secure Gun Storage
Secure Gun Storage
What is the problem?
Gun owners can make their homes and communities safer by storing their guns securely. This means storing them locked, unloaded, and separate from ammunition. Securing firearms protects children and adults by preventing unintentional shootings and gun suicides.
Research shows secure storage practices play a vital role in reducing the risk of gun violence. Storing firearms securely protects children and adults by preventing unintentional shootings and gun suicides.
How it Works
Secure storage prevents shootings by disrupting unauthorized access to firearms.
Eight states and the District of Columbia, as well as several cities including New York and San Francisco, have laws mandating that owners secure their firearms.
Fifteen states have passed another form of firearm storage laws, known as child access prevention (CAP) laws, which generally provide that if a minor accesses a firearm, the person who failed to adequately secure the firearm is liable. Six states have storage laws that are also aimed at preventing access to firearms by persons legally prohibited from having them.
Public awareness is also critical to ensuring that guns are stored securely. The Moms Demand Action Be SMART program is one of many models that can be used by public officials and members of the community to build awareness of the importance of secure firearm storage.
We are all safer when guns are stored unloaded, locked, and separate from ammunition. One study found that households that locked both firearms and ammunition were associated with a 78 percent lower risk of self-inflicted firearm injuries and an 85 percent lower risk of unintentional firearm injuries among children and teens, compared to those that locked neither. Another estimated that if half of households with children that have at least one unlocked gun switched to locking all their guns, one-third of youth gun suicides and unintentional deaths could be prevented, saving an estimated 251 lives in a single year.
By the numbers
54%
An estimated 54 percent of gun owners don’t lock all of their guns securely.
350
Every year, nearly 350 children under the age of 18 unintentionally shoot themselves or someone else.
4.6M
4.6 million children in the US live in a home with at least one unlocked and loaded firearm.
80%
In incidents of gunfire on school grounds, up to 80 percent of shooters under the age of 18 got the gun from their home or the homes of friends or relatives.
UNLOAD, LOCK, AND SEPARATE
Assume children and teens can find guns. Store firearms unloaded, locked, and separate from ammunition.
Myth & Fact
Myth
Storage devices defeat the purpose of owning a gun by putting barriers between the gun owner and their means of defense.
Fact
Featured Resources
Guide to Secure Gun Storage Devices
Secure gun storage can prevent theft and access by children, unauthorized users, and anyone who may pose a danger to themself or others.
Not An Accident: Unintentional Shootings by Children
Every year, hundreds of children unintentionally shoot themselves or someone else after accessing unsecured guns. This is not an accident.
Unload, Lock, and Separate: Secure Gun Storage Practices to Reduce Violence
Secure gun storage practices should include unloading the ammunition, locking the gun, and storing it and ammunition in separate locations.
Firearm Suicide in the United States
Firearm suicide is preventable, and addressing it is an essential element of any strategy to reduce gun violence in America.
All Resources
Secure Gun Storage
All Resources
Shooting Straight: What TV Stories Tell Us About Gun Safety, How These Depictions Affect Audiences, and How We Can Do Better
This research project explores how often gun safety and prevention measures are portrayed or discussed in entertainment media.
Report
Cómo detener los tiroteos y la violencia armada en las escuelas: Un plan para mantener seguros a los estudiantes
Necesitamos acciones significativas para mantener nuestras escuelas y las comunidades circundantes seguras en los Estados Unidos.
Report
A Continuum of Gun Access Interventions for Preventing Gun Suicide
Gun access interventions exist on a continuum, a chain of actions that can be taken depending on the severity of the crisis.
Fact SheetGun Suicide in Cities: The Lesser-Known Side of City Gun Violence
Rates of people who die by gun suicide in cities are on the rise, but, until now, a dearth of city-level data leaves it often overlooked.
Report
How To Stop Shootings and Gun Violence in Schools: A Plan to Keep Students Safe
We need meaningful actions to keep our schools safe, actions that address what we know about gun violence in America’s schools.
Report
The Rise of Firearm Suicide Among Young Americans
Firearm suicide is having a devastating impact on American youth, particularly during COVID-19. But suicide can be prevented.
Report
How Can We Prevent Gun Violence in American Schools?
School leaders and policymakers must support and implement strong gun safety laws and school-based interventions.
Fact Sheet
Preventable Tragedies: Findings from the #NotAnAccident Index
Every year, hundreds of children in the United States gain access to unsecured, loaded guns.
Report
Methodological Note: A More Complete Picture
Read the Report A More Complete Picture: The Contours of Gun Injury in the United States Report…
Methodological NoteA More Complete Picture: The Contours of Gun Injury in the United States
Nonfatal gunshot wounds account for an enormous portion of the gun violence epidemic in America.
Report
Those Who Serve: Addressing Firearm Suicide Among Military Veterans
Our country’s veterans are at a heightened risk of suicide, and firearms are the prevailing method of suicide among veterans.
Fact Sheet
Stolen Guns Pose a Tremendous Risk to Public Safety
Thousands of guns are stolen every year and often wind up at crime scenes. Stolen guns pose a tremendous risk to public safety.
Fact Sheet