Title: Firearm Ownership and Storage Practices, U.S. Households, 1992-2002: A Systematic Review

Publication Date: August 2004

What does it say?

This is a review of published peer-reviewed literature that looks at the number of guns owned in the U.S. and the ways guns are stored when kept in homes.

Guns are kept in about a third of U.S. households. Handguns are kept in more than half of gun-owning households, meaning that nearly a fifth (19%) of all homes in the U.S. keep a handgun.

Out of gun-owning households around a third kept guns loaded (29-37%) and around half stored guns in unlocked places (49-53%). More than a fifth of all guns kept in homes (21-22%) were kept both loaded and unlocked.

Previous literature has demonstrated that guns are common in U.S. homes with children. The study notes that safety devices and practices can help reduce unauthorized access to firearms by children or youth and can help prevent guns from being stolen by criminals.

How can I use it?

Keeping a gun in the home increases the risk of homicide, suicide and unintentional deaths. Gun owners should think twice before allowing guns in the home.  There are many ways to improve the safe storage of guns. States can enforce laws relating to Child Access Prevention that hold owners responsible for leaving guns accessible to kids and can also require that guns be sold with child-safety locks. Personalized guns allow only an authorized owner to use the gun. Given that such large numbers of households keep guns that are stored unlocked and loaded it is important to implement ways of making guns safer to protect families.

Citation

Johnson, Renee, Tamera Coyne-Beasley, and Carol W. Runyan., “Firearm Ownership and Storage Practices, U.S. Households, 1992-2002: A Systematic Review,” American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 27(2) (2004): 173-182

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