Loaded Guns in the Home

The findings show that a significant proportion of gun owners disregard basic safety procedures, and without information on the specific content of safety instruction, it cannot say that education about safe storage practices is ineffective.

Abstract

The spontaneous nature of many firearm deaths has led to speculation that a substantial proportion of firearm-related morbidity and mortality could be prevented if easy access to loaded weapons were reduced through appropriate storage practices. Our findings show that a significant proportion of gun owners disregard basic safety procedures. However, without information on the specific content of safety instruction, we cannot say that education about safe storage practices is ineffective.