Many people with children and a loaded firearm in their home are storing their gun unlocked, putting children in danger, a new study found.
“These findings underscore the importance of discussing secure firearm storage practices with parents and caregivers, including supporting them in asking about the presence of unsecured firearms in other homes where their children visit and play, such as the homes of older family members,” researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wrote in a new Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
The team looked at survey data from eight states — Alaska, California, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio and Oklahoma.
The percentage of people with a firearm in their home ranged from 18% in California to 51% in Alaska. Among those, 20% to 44% said they kept their firearm loaded.
The team drilled down further to look at homes with children under 18 years. In homes with both a child and a loaded firearm, 25%-41% stored their loaded firearm unlocked.
Having a firearm in the home increases the risk of firearm homicide and suicide for people in the home as well as unintentional injuries linked to children playing with a gun they found, according to previous research cited in the study.
“State and demographic variation in storage practices highlights the importance of tailored prevention activities to reduce handling of guns by children and youths without adult supervision and other unauthorized persons,” authors wrote.
They noted that providing firearm owners with cable locks, trigger locks and lock boxes has been linked with safer storage practices.
The AAP advises families who own guns to keep them locked and unloaded with ammunition locked separately.
Gun owners who have safes with a fingerprint locking feature should make sure their safe is not among those that have been recalled. More than 130,000 were recalled this month amid reports that they have been opened by unauthorized users, including children. In recent months, 120,000 others were recalled after a 6-year-old gained access and 61,000 were recalled after a 12-year-old died.
Keeping children safe from firearms has been a priority for the AAP. Recent efforts have included calling for more federal funding of research, holding a town hall with nearly 200 pediatricians and forming a new Firearm Injury Prevention Special Interest Group. In August 2023, leaders from around the country chose two firearm-related resolutions to be among their top 10 priorities for the Academy.
The AAP’s Gun Safety, Injury, and Violence Prevention Community Grant Program has kick-started gun violence prevention programs in 10 communities. The efforts include distribution of gun locks, firearm safety training, community events, webinars, social media campaigns, public service announcements and educational materials.
In his latest letter to members, AAP President Benjamin D. Hoffman, M.D., FAAP, encouraged pediatricians to change one thing in their practice to help protect children from gun violence.
“We are pediatricians, and we do not shrink from the fight to protect those for whom we care, rising to meet the challenges with grit and determination,” he wrote. “We all agree that no child should ever be hurt by a gun. Let’s get to work.”
Resources
- AAP policy statement Firearm-Related Injuries and Deaths in Children and Youth: Injury Prevention and Harm Reduction
- AAP gun safety and injury prevention resources
- Register for the AAP Firearm Injury Prevention Special Interest Group
- Information for parents from HealthyChildren.org on firearm safety
- AAP gun safety toolkit
- AAP course “Safer: Storing Firearms Prevents Harm”
- Pediatrics journal collection on firearms
