Firearm Storage Practices and Risk Perceptions

Abstract

During the past 2 decades, gun owners have become more likely to store household firearms loaded and unlocked, and believe that guns make homes safer rather than more dangerous. Self-reported household firearm storage practices were described among 2,001 gun owners in relation to whether they report that firearms make homes (1) safer, (2) more dangerous, or (3) it depends. Data were from a probability-based online survey administered in 2015 (completion rate, 55%) and analyzed in 2018. Nearly 60% of gun owners said that guns make homes safer (57.6%, 95% CI=55.1%, 60.1%), 39.9% (95% CI=37.4%, 42.5%) said that it depends (on other factors), and 2.5% (95% CI=1.8%, 3.4%) said that guns make homes more dangerous. A higher proportion of gun owners who reported that they believe guns increase household safety said that they store household firearms loaded and unlocked (39.2%, 95% CI=35.9%, 42.6%), compared with those who thought guns make the home either more dangerous (3.7%, 95% CI=1.3%, 10.1%) or those who thought the effect of guns on household safety depends on additional factors (17.5%, 95% CI=14.7%, 20.7%). Gun owners who are most likely to assert categorically that firearms in the home make homes safer are, as a group, far more likely to store guns in their home loaded and unlocked.