Responsible Firearm Storage Can Result in Fewer Unintentional Shootings and Firearm Suicides Among American Youth
DENVER – Today, the Colorado chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, part of Everytown for Gun Safety, applauded the Denver Public Schools Board of Education for unanimously voting to approve a resolution to require information be sent home with students to educate parents on their responsibility to responsibly store firearms they own. Parents or guardians would need to sign and return the letter acknowledging they have read the information.
With over 93,000 students, the Denver Board of Education is the latest large school board to require that responsible firearm storage information be sent home with students.
“We are so grateful to the Denver Board of Education for prioritizing gun violence prevention today,” said Rachel Barnes, a volunteer with the Colorado chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. “This will help ensure that Denver parents recognize the deadly risk posed by unsecured guns.”
In the majority of school gun violence incidents involving a shooter under the age of 18, the shooter obtained the gun from home, their relative’s home or from friends. Additionally, over 1000 American children and teens die by firearm suicide each year and over 100 children and teens are unintentionally shot and killed. These numbers suggest that responsible storage can be an effective tool in addressing gun violence among children and teens, as well as the source of guns used in school gun violence.A 2019 study estimated that if half of households with children switched from leaving their guns unlocked to responsibly storing them all locked, one third of youth gun suicides and unintentional deaths could be prevented – saving an estimated 251 lives in a single year.