Under Ethan’s Law, gun owners would be required to secure their firearms in a “secure gun storage or safety device” if a minor is likely to gain access to the firearm without permission, or if a resident of the dwelling cannot legally possess a firearm under existing law.
Firearms continue to be unsafely stored, with around 60% of owners reporting storing at least one firearm unlocked and hidden. Many kids in these households know exactly where the firearms are stored, and many have also handled the firearms. In a recent study, among the 70% of households where parents did not believe their child could access a household firearm, more than 1 in 5 adolescents reported being able to access a loaded household firearm within 5 minutes (37% within an hour). Firearm owners report that preventing access by children was the strongest reason they would consider locking unsecured firearms.
How should firearms be stored?
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all firearms in households with children should be unloaded and in locked storage with ammunition locked and stored separately.
30 million children in the United States live in households with firearms in 2021.
…7 million more than in 2015.
4.6 million children live in households where a gun is loaded and unlocked
Does safe storage make a difference?
Yes! The presence of unlocked guns in homes increases the risk of both unintentional gun injuries and intentional shootings. Suicide attempts with a firearm have a fatality rate of over 90%. In comparison, the fatality rate for drug overdose is 23%. The increased risk of suicide is particularly striking for younger persons where guns are stored loaded and/or unlocked.
Another modeling study found that, for suicides and unintentional deaths, that if half the households with children move from not locking their guns to at least locking one gun, over 250 youth suicide and unintentional firearm deaths could be prevented per year.
Additionally, between 2008 and 2017, 76 percent of student attackers acquired a firearm from the home of a parent or another close relative.
Does legislation make a difference?
The research shows that the strongest Child Access Prevention laws save lives. Absence of the most stringent negligence laws accounted for 29% of pediatric firearm fatalities. In a state-level, cross-sectional study throughout the United States, negligence-specific child access prevention firearm laws were associated with reduced fatalities of 12-15% for firearm suicides, homicides, and unintentional shootings.
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