Gun Safety

Millions of children live in homes with guns, and many of these weapons are stored loaded, unlocked, or both. Guns lead to thousands of deaths and injuries among children every year.

Gun Safety

Since 2020, guns have been the leading cause of death among children and adolescents 1-17 years old in the United States. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that the best way to prevent gun-related injuries among youth is to remove guns from the home. However, if you choose to keep a gun in the home (or in your vehicle or elsewhere on your property), it is important that it is unloaded and locked, and the ammunition is stored and locked in a separate location. 

Gun-Related Injury Facts

  • More than 2,200 children younger than 18 years of age died from firearm injuries in 2024. 
  • It is estimated that 32.3 million US children live in a household with an adult who owns a gun, and 20% of those homes contain at least one gun that is stored both loaded and unlocked. 
  • Nearly 1 in 3 firearm deaths among youth are from suicide.  
  • Children and adolescents are at greater risk of suicide when there is a gun in their home. 
  • Most of the victims of unintentional shootings are boys. They are often shot by a male friend or brother, or they unintentionally shoot themselves.   
  • Nearly 40% of unintentional shooting deaths among children 11-14 years of age occur in the home of a friend. 

Myths About Guns

  • Some parents believe that hiding their guns will prevent children from accessing them. However, 75% of children who live in homes with guns know where they are stored.
  • Many parents think their children are not capable of firing a gun. However, children as young as 3 years old may be strong enough to pull the trigger of a handgun.
  • Parents believe their children know the difference between real guns and toy guns, but in 16% of unintentional firearm deaths among children younger than 13 years of age, the gun was mistaken for a toy.
  • Parents often believe their child would not touch a gun because “he knows better.” However, studies have found that most children will handle a gun if they find one, even if they have been taught not to.
  • Some parents consider non-powder guns, like BB, pellet, and paintball guns, to be toys. These guns, which can fire at the speed of traditional guns, lead to nearly 22,000 injuries each year, especially eye injuries.

Gun Safety Tips

  • The best way to keep your children safe from guns is to remove all guns from the home.
  • If a gun is in the house, always keep it unloaded and locked. It should be out of reach and sight of children. Keep ammunition and guns locked in separate locations, not together.
  • Safety devices, including gun locks, lock boxes and gun safes, should be used for every gun in the house.
  • Storage keys and lock combinations should be hidden from children.
  • Before visiting friends and relatives, ask if they have guns in their homes. If so, make sure they keep their guns unloaded and locked as well.
  • Never leave children unsupervised in a home with a gun.

Additional Gun Safety Resources

One Question Could Save A Child's Life

An epidemiological study of unintentional pediatric firearm fatalities in the USA, 2009–2018

The information above is from the following sources (in order of use):

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  • Okoro CA, Nelson DE, Mercy JA, Balluz LS, Crosby AE, Mokdad AH. Prevalence of household firearms and firearm-storage practices in the 50 states and the District of Columbia: findings from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2002. Pediatrics. 2005;116(3):e370-376.
  • Schaechter J. Guns in the Home. HealthyChildren.org.
  • Frattaroli S, Webster DW, Teret SP. Unintentional gun injuries, firearm design, and prevention: what we know, what we need to know, and what can be done. J Urban Health. 2002;79(1):49-59. 
  • Hemenway D, Solnick SJ. Children and unintentional firearm death. Inj Epidemiol. 2015;2(1):doi:10.1186/s40621-40015-40057-40620. 
  • Hemenway D, Barber C, Miller M. Unintentional firearm deaths: a comparison of other-inflicted and self-inflicted shootings. Accid Anal Prev. 2010;42(4):1184-1188.
  • Council on Injury, Violence, and Poison Prevention Executive Committee. Firearm-Related Injuries Affecting the Pediatric Population. Pediatrics: 2012;130(5). http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/130/5/e1416.full
  • Baxley F, Miller M. Parental misperceptions about children and firearms. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2006;160(5):542-547. 
  • Hardy MS. Teaching firearm safety to children: failure of a program. J Dev Behav Pediatr. 2002;23(2):71-76. 
  • Laraque D, Committee on Injury, Violence, and Poison Prevention. Injury Risk of Nonpowder Guns. Pediatrics: 2004;114(5). http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/pediatrics/114/5/1357.full.pdf
  • Villarreal, S., Kim, R., Wagner, E., Somayaji, N., Davis, A., & Crifasi, C. K. (2024). Gun Violence in the
    United States 2022: Examining the Burden Among Children and Teens. Johns Hopkins Center for
    Gun Violence Solutions. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
  • Panchal, N. Child and Adolescent Firearm Deaths: National Trends and Variation by Demographics and States. KFF.org.
  • Miller M, Fischer S, Nelson E, Azrael D. Firearm Storage in Households With Children. JAMA Netw Open. 2026;9(5):e2612191. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.12191.
  • Brent DA, Perper JA, Moritz G, Baugher M, Schweers J, Roth C. Firearms and Adolescent Suicide: A Community Case-Control Study. Am J Dis Child. 1993;147(10):1066–1071. doi:10.1001/archpedi.1993.02160340052013
  • Wilson RF, Mintz S, Blair JM, Betz CJ, Collier A, Fowler KA. Unintentional Firearm Injury Deaths Among Children and Adolescents Aged 0–17 Years — National Violent Death Reporting System, United States, 2003–2021. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2023;72:1338–1345. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7250a1.
  • Hemenway D, Solnick SJ. Children and unintentional firearm death. Inj Epidemiol. 2015;2(1):26. doi: 10.1186/s40621-015-0057-0. Epub 2015 Oct 12. PMID: 26478854; PMCID: PMC4602049.