07-02-2015, 01:35 AM
STUDIES
Background Research
Researchers have found that millions of children live in homes with easily accessible guns. Approximately one of three handguns is kept loaded and unlocked and most children know where their parents keep their guns.
On average, over 16,000 individuals in the United States are treated each year in hospital emergency rooms for unintentional gunshot wounds and a study found that 8% of accidental shooting deaths resulted from shots fired by children under the age of six.
In one 2006 study, 73% of children under age 10 living in homes with guns reported knowing the location of their parents’ firearms, and 36% admitted they had handled the weapons; 39% of parents who reported that their children did not know the storage location of household guns and 22% of parents who reported that their children had never handled a household gun were contradicted by their children’s reports.
In July 2004, the U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Department of Education published a study examining 37 school shootings from 1974-2000. That study found that in more than 65% of the cases, the attacker got the gun from his or her own home or that of a relative.
As of July 2015, there are no child access prevention laws at the federal level, and federal law does not generally require gun owners to safely store their guns.
Safety Locks and Devices - Research Results
The U.S. General Accounting Office has estimated that 31% of accidental deaths caused by firearms might be prevented by the addition of two devices: a child-proof safety lock and a “loading indicator,” a safety device that indicates whether a firearm is loaded and a round remains in the chamber.
A study released in 2005 found that the practices of keeping firearms locked, unloaded, and storing ammunition in a locked location separate from firearms serve as a “protective effect” and may assist in reducing youth suicide and unintentional injury in homes with children and teenagers where guns are stored.
The safe storage of firearms also helps prevent firearms from being stolen. Firearms stolen from residences play a significant role in gun trafficking.
A national survey conducted in January 2013 found that 67.2% of respondents support laws requiring gun owners to lock up any guns in the home when not in use to prevent handling by children or teenagers without adult supervision.
Source Citations: http://smartgunlaws.org/safe-storage-gun...y-summary/
Background Research
Researchers have found that millions of children live in homes with easily accessible guns. Approximately one of three handguns is kept loaded and unlocked and most children know where their parents keep their guns.
On average, over 16,000 individuals in the United States are treated each year in hospital emergency rooms for unintentional gunshot wounds and a study found that 8% of accidental shooting deaths resulted from shots fired by children under the age of six.
In one 2006 study, 73% of children under age 10 living in homes with guns reported knowing the location of their parents’ firearms, and 36% admitted they had handled the weapons; 39% of parents who reported that their children did not know the storage location of household guns and 22% of parents who reported that their children had never handled a household gun were contradicted by their children’s reports.
In July 2004, the U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Department of Education published a study examining 37 school shootings from 1974-2000. That study found that in more than 65% of the cases, the attacker got the gun from his or her own home or that of a relative.
As of July 2015, there are no child access prevention laws at the federal level, and federal law does not generally require gun owners to safely store their guns.
Safety Locks and Devices - Research Results
The U.S. General Accounting Office has estimated that 31% of accidental deaths caused by firearms might be prevented by the addition of two devices: a child-proof safety lock and a “loading indicator,” a safety device that indicates whether a firearm is loaded and a round remains in the chamber.
A study released in 2005 found that the practices of keeping firearms locked, unloaded, and storing ammunition in a locked location separate from firearms serve as a “protective effect” and may assist in reducing youth suicide and unintentional injury in homes with children and teenagers where guns are stored.
The safe storage of firearms also helps prevent firearms from being stolen. Firearms stolen from residences play a significant role in gun trafficking.
A national survey conducted in January 2013 found that 67.2% of respondents support laws requiring gun owners to lock up any guns in the home when not in use to prevent handling by children or teenagers without adult supervision.
Source Citations: http://smartgunlaws.org/safe-storage-gun...y-summary/