Study Shows 40% Of Parents Don’t Keep Their Firearms Locked Up

A recently published study shows that 40% of parents don't keep their firearms locked up.

As a mother of 5 children, this makes me sick to my stomach.

The study was done over the course of several years in Washington State and StudyFinds.org shared this synopsis of the data.

Researchers from the University of Washington handed out one-page surveys to gun owners waiting in line for free firearm storage devices at various gun safety events in sporting goods stores. In all, 40% said they have at least one firearm in their home that is not locked and secured. Another 39% said they keep at least one gun loaded in their home, and 14% said they store all their firearms unlocked and loaded in their home.

When the data was broken down further between gun owners that had children (18 and under) living in their home and gun owners without children, the stats remained almost exactly the same.

It's no secret that in Wyoming many of us support the 2nd amendment, and as someone who is married to an avid hunter and outdoorsman, we own multiple firearms.

Firearm safety is something that we begin teaching our children as soon as they can walk.

That being said, we know that kids are kids and aren't exactly known for making the right choice all the time.

To ensure that our children (and other children that visit our home) are safe we keep our firearms locked up.

So why does this statistic worry me?

Because it means that chances are, my children are going to enter a home where the firearms are NOT safely stowed away.

Research shows that properly securing firearms can reduce the chances of self-inflicted and unintentional firearm injuries in children by 70%.

Parents and gun owners, let this be a warning to you.

Lock up your firearms.

Teach your children what to do if a friend or relative tries to handle a firearm without a responsible adult helping them.

If your children will be in someone's home and unsupervised (that means not within your line of sight) ask the homeowner if they have any firearms that are not locked up.

Teach your children about gun safety and have conversations about it often.

You might just end up saving their lives, or the life of someone you love.