Safe Storage of Guns and Ammunition in Your Home

How Do I Store My Guns And Ammunition With Children At Home?

There are many important steps to take to store your guns and ammunition. Here's how you can safely store them at home

• Store your weapons in a secure, closed container. Keep the gun safely hidden from your children and other family members.
• Unload all ammunition before storing your weapons in a safe. The National Rifle Association (NRA) recommends that guns be stored unloaded until you need to use them.
• Keep ammunition in a safe separate from that of the weapon. Storing the ammunition away from your guns will reduce the risk of your children or other family members putting the ammunition in the gun.
• Put a different lock or lock for each weapon. Keep the keys out of the reach of your children or other family members.
• Check your weapons every time you take them out and put them back in place again. Make sure another family member has not left ammunition in the gun or left something unsecured.
• Talk with your children early and often about gun safety. If they know where they are kept, be sure to tell them not to touch them.

How Can I Talk With My Children About Gun Safety?

• Talk to your children early and as often as possible. Your kids need to hear about gun safety many times for them to remember the information.
• Agree with your partner. Your children should get the same information from both you and your partner. Talk with your partner about what they will tell their children about gun safety.
• Have this conversation in a quiet place without distractions.
• The talk should be a serious conversation, not a sermon. Ask your children what they know so you can clear up any misunderstandings.
• Encourage your children to ask questions. Children and teenagers of all ages are naturally curious about guns. Just because your kids don't ask a question doesn't mean they don't have a question in mind. Answer the questions honestly in a way that your children can understand.
• Tell your children never to touch your gun (s) or ammunition outside of your presence. Tell them never to point a gun at anyone, to always assume it is loaded and can be fired.
• Tell them that when they see or find a weapon to stop what they were doing and report it to an adult. You should also tell them never to touch or pick up a gun or ammunition.

Most importantly, set a good example for your children.

Children learn how to behave from the adults around them. If your children see you modeling safe and responsible behavior around guns, they have a better chance of being safe and responsible around them.

I have a gun but I want to get rid of it. How can I do it?

Disposing of guns can help protect your children and family from gun accidents. Here are some tips on how to get rid of it:

• Store your gun outside the home, such as in a hidden gun storage unit or gun customs warehouse.
• Call your local police department to schedule an appointment to deliver unwanted weapons and ammunition to your local police station. All police departments accept guns and ammunition. You will not get in trouble for owning a gun.
• Ask different police stations in your area about gun buyback programs. With gun buyback programs, you can get money or gift cards when you return them.

Facts about gun dangers and gun possession

• Guns are found in 4 out of 10 households with children in the United States.
• Children as young as 3 years old are strong enough to pull the trigger of a gun. 1 in 4 children has held a gun without their parents knowing.
• Every two days, 1 child under the age of 10 is accidentally killed or injured by a weapon.
• Every day in the United States, an average of 9 children are killed by a gun and 20 children are taken to the hospital for gun injuries.
• Many people buy guns for protection. However, owners are more likely to injure, kill themselves or other family members than intruders.
• Suicide is the most common cause of death by firearm in the United States. Each year, about 22,000 people kill themselves with guns. Owners of guns are 3 times more likely to die by homicide (being killed by someone else) than those who do not own guns.