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.
Six 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.
Fourteen 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. Four 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 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 locked, unloaded, 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
All Resources
Secure Gun Storage
All Resources
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
The Rise of Firearm Suicide Among Young Americans
Death by suicide is a significant public health problem that claims the lives of thousands of young people in the US each year.
Report
Not An Accident
Every year, hundreds of children unintentionally shoot themselves or someone else after accessing unsecured guns. This is not an accident.
Data Tracker
Gun Violence and COVID-19
The US has seen the collision of two major public health crises: COVID-19 and gun violence.
Report
Thousands of Preventable Gun Suicides
The deep economic downturn caused by COVID-19, combined with the millions of guns already in homes and the millions more being purchased during each month…
Fact Sheet
Keeping Our Schools Safe: A Plan for Preventing Mass Shootings and Ending All Gun Violence in American Schools
The failure of our leaders to address the root causes of school gun violence is having lasting consequences for millions of children.
Report
Those Who Serve: Addressing Firearm Suicide Among Military Veterans
Findings Veteran firearm suicide is a virulent strain of a larger crisis. Firearm suicide is a significant public health crisis in the United States, claiming…
Fact Sheet
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.
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
Disrupting Access: Addressing Firearm Suicide in the U.S.
Firearm Suicide In The U.S A growing problem Nearly 43,000 Americans die by suicide every year,1Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Report