Firearm Safety

Firearm Facts & Tips

• In the US, nearly 40% of households with children have a gun.
• Every other day in the US, a child under the age of 10 is killed or disabled with a gun.
• Children love to explore and the more they explore as they grow, the more they find themselves in trouble as they learn right from wrong. Many times this trouble will be small, but if there is a gun in the house, it can lead to severe injury or even death.
• Children, even those as old as 8-12 years, cannot reliably tell the difference between a real gun and toy guns.
• Make sure you take the proper precautions if you own a gun, including always using gun locks, a locked safe, and keeping the gun unloaded with the ammunition stored and locked separately.
• Treat non-powder guns, like BB guns and pellet guns, the same as other guns—many children are injured each year by these weapons.
• Even if you don't own a gun it is important to know if the homes your child visits do.

Articles and Research

• Firearm Storage Patterns in US Homes with Children (Rand Corporation)
• Personal Firearm Storage in the United States