How to store guns safely to prevent unintentional shootings

A person is killed or injured almost every day in the U.S. because a child has unintentionally fired a gun. Here are experts' tips to prevent these shootings.

A person is killed or injured almost every day in the U.S. because a child has unintentionally fired a gun, according to reports from 2015 to 2022 compiled by Everytown, an advocacy group for firearm safety. 

These incidents are almost entirely preventable if firearms are stored safely and securely — which means unloaded and locked up, with ammunition stored separately in a locked container, experts say. 

There is broad agreement that gun owners should take those steps. It’s a rare consensus amid the highly polarized gun debate in America, shared by the biggest gun industry group, leading gun control advocates, the White House and many safety experts. 

Safely storing firearms helps prevent children and those who could harm themselves or others from easily accessing loaded weapons, reducing the chance of unintentional shootings, as well as suicide and theft.

But many gun owners do not store their weapons locked and unloaded, according to recent surveys, partly because they want them readily available to defend themselves and their families. Experts acknowledge that safety devices can slow access to loaded weapons, though the delay is generally brief; rapid-access safety devices such as biometric gun safes can be opened in a matter of seconds.    

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/store-guns-safely-prevent-unintentional-shootings-rcna158903

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