Secure Firearm Storage

Clinicians can help patients and families choose secure storage options—such as locks, safes, or off-site storage—to reduce access during high-risk periods and prevent unintentional and self-directed firearm injury.

Violence Domain:

General Firearm Injury
Suicide

Clinical Setting:

Primary Care

Key Staff:

Primary Care Provider

Delivery Mode:

Clinician-delivered
In-person

Primary Audience:

Firearm owners

Primary Outcomes:

Reduced ability for firearms to be used in risky situations
Reduced risk of gun access and use by unauthorized individuals

One key aspect of responsible firearm ownership is how firearms are stored. Research shows that households where firearms are stored locked have significantly lower risk of firearm-related injury and fatality compared to households where firearms are stored unlocked and loaded.¹ Routine clinical encounters offer healthcare providers valuable opportunities to discuss secure storage options. These conversations may take place over several conversations, as trust is established between the patient, family members, and provider. Secure storage is of particular importance in households with children and teenagers. Pediatrician-led secure storage discussions, together with storage device distribution, have shown promising results.²

Secure storage practices include both in-home and off-site options.

In-home or on-site options for secure storage include:

Using locking devices (e.g., cable locks, trigger locks, or clamshell locks).
Storing firearms in a locked container (e.g., lock box, gun safe), some of which use biometric security (e.g., fingerprints) to limit access. Consider locking devices that use code or other alternatives to a key that could be used by others.
Storing locked guns unloaded with the ammunition locked and stored separately.
Disassembling or removing key elements (e.g., firing pin) to prevent use.

Temporary or long-term storage of firearms outside the home, in approved nearby locations, is another option. Individuals may also opt to remove and store an essential component of the firearm (e.g., firing pin) off-site. Approved locations might include:

A firearm business (e.g., shooting range, sports club, firearm retailer)
A local police department
Existing armories

Several organizations have developed national, state, and local maps indicating locations for firearm storage outside the home. National maps can be found on Gunstoragemap.com and Pausetoprotect.org. Off-site storage may be especially important during times of travel, conflict, health concerns, or other risky situations in the home (e.g., a teenager suffering depression, a family member facing dementia).

Each of these options has pros and cons that are important to discuss in the context of each patient’s household and level of risk. Combining multiple storage options can provide extra layers of protection, especially if there is a clinical or safety concern. Healthcare providers can offer patients and their families different secure storage options and work with them to identify methods that best fit a patient’s motivation for firearm ownership, safety goals, and level of risk. Distribution of free locking devices, in combination with counseling and written materials, can further support the adoption of secure storage practices.

For additional strategies and resources, see the Safety Behaviors Counseling and Lethal Means Counseling sections.

Engaging in conversations about the secure storage of firearms is a crucial way providers can help reduce the risk of intentional or unintentional firearm-related injuries.

Secure Firearm Storage​