Firearm Safe Storage
Keeping kids safe by storing firearms safely in the home, in the car, and in places children visit.
Firearm-related injuries are now a leading cause of death in children and teens ages 1 to 19.
Nearly 30 million children in the U.S. live in homes with firearms. This number is highest in states in the Southeast, like Georgia.
Every year, kids die or are treated in emergency departments for injuries from guns that weren’t stored safely.
Did you know…
… children as young as two years old are strong enough to pull the trigger of a handgun?
… according to Injury Free Coalition for Kids, between 10 and 12 children die each day due to a firearm-related injury?
… around 4.6 million children live in homes with unlocked and loaded guns?
Top Tips To Store Your Firearm Safely:
Keep firearms:
Unloaded
Locked with a secure, child-resistant safety device such as a lockbox or gun safe.
Store ammunition separately
Store firearms so they are out of reach and sight.
Leaving a firearm unsecured - such as on a nightstand, closet, table, glove compartment, or anywhere a child or teen might find it - puts kids at risk of serious injury or death.
For firearms used on the go, the same storage tips apply. This includes in a car, purse, luggage, or other times a firearm may be out of the home.
Cable Lock:
A cable lock is a strong steel cable that threads through a firearm’s magazine and action, blocking it from being loaded or fired. Cable locks are often the most affordable storage option, and some organizations - like police departments - may even offer them for free.
Firearm Storage Devices
Not sure which device is best? Many secure options exist—locks, lockboxes, and safes.
The BEST one is the one you will actually use, so pick what fits your needs.
Trigger Lock:
Trigger locks block the trigger from being pulled, preventing the gun from firing. They’re affordable, easy to use, and secured with a key or combination - but they don’t stop a firearm from being loaded. Never use one on a loaded gun and note that they don’t work on lever-action firearms, so other storage options may be needed.
Lock Box:
A lockbox is a compact storage option that secures your firearm and keeps it out of sight. They come with different locking mechanisms - such as key, combination, keypad, or fingerprint scan. Lockboxes are portable, can allow quick access, and fingerprint models offer instant entry while still keeping children and teens locked out.
Safe:
A firearm safe is a larger storage option that has room for multiple firearms including handguns and rifles. These come in a range of sizes and, depending on the model, it may lock with a key, combination, keypad, or fingerprint scan. Their size and weight make them very difficult to steal or tamper with.
ASK about Firearms
Asking Saves Kids
Before your children visit another home, it’s important to ask whether there are firearms in the house and how they are stored.
Knowing this information helps you take steps to keep your kids safe and ensures they are not accidentally exposed to unsecured guns.
Open conversations with other caregivers can be uncomfortable if you haven’t done it before but are a simple and a crucial part of protecting children from injury.
We are here to help you with some scripting.