In a survey of more than 1,000 firearm owners across the nation conducted by researchers from Penn State, West Chester University and Oberlin College, 64 percent used either a gun lock or a safe for storage. That’s roughly two out of every three citizens who have exercised their Second Amendment rights. The results also uncovered an underreported trend. Training increases responsible storage at a dramatic rate.
“Gun owners who received formal, informal, or both forms of safety training were more likely to report using a secure mechanism of firearm storage than those who were untrained,” according to the report. “In fact, gun safety training was the strongest predictor of secure firearm storage, with findings revealing those who received both formal and informal gun safety training were more than six times as likely to store their firearms securely than those who were untrained.”
The study was, in part, an effort to update previous survey findings, address claims that certain demographics opted out of safe firearm storage at a higher rate and to expand the scope of prior research. The researchers also summarized results from its question on whether state laws requiring the use of gun locks and/or safes had any affect. “Another interesting finding from analyses was that having a state law requiring secure firearm storage was unrelated to gun owners’ storing their weapons securely,” the findings state.
Gun safes were used more often than gun locks. Results also indicate 51.2 percent of gun owners store ammunition and/or magazines in a separate location than guns. Roughly the same number store their guns unloaded, and 90 of participants in the survey take some sort of safety precautions of one form or another.
“The results from our multivariable model show that the strongest predictors of secure firearm storage were completing a form of gun safety training, either formal or informal, demonstrating that gun safety training and secure firearm storage are interconnected,” the study states. “Together, these findings suggest that most gun owners in the United States are well-versed in firearm safety practices and store their guns securely when they are not using them.”
NRA has been teaching firearm safety and providing instruction since 1871. Enthusiasts can find a distance learning course or one nearby by visiting this webpage.
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