Millions of children in the United States are home from school for the foreseeable future. And as many parents are forced to work from home and many struggle to find child care, children may be left unattended or in the care of a new caregiver. During these uncertain times, safe storage is more important than ever. 

If your child is headed to the home of a friend or neighbor, it is crucial to ask about guns in the home before sending your child into that environment.

In the United States, 4.6 million children live in a home with access to an unlocked or unsupervised firearm. Three quarters of children know where guns are located in their homes. On average, eight children a day are killed or injured by guns left unlocked and loaded. 

The good news is safe storage works. Research shows that safe firearm storage reduces family fire risk by 73 percent. Safe storage helps stop a child’s curiosity from becoming deadly by reducing unintentional shootings. It also helps prevent suicide by removing access to the most lethal means.

If you are a gun owner, please practice safe firearm storage. Keep your guns unloaded, locked, separate from ammunition, and inaccessible to children. Non-gun owners can help reduce family fire by talking to their loved ones, caregivers, and community members about safe storage.

Read more: 

• COVID-19 and Gun Violence: Two Public Health Crises
• COVID-19 Sparks Spike in Gun Sales
• COVID-19 and Domestic Violence
• COVID-19 and Firearm Suicide

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