A Message from Congresswoman Sherrill

Dear Friends,

I am writing to share information on the Secure Storage Information Act – legislation I introduced to prevent gun violence in our communities by making it significantly easier for individuals to safely store their firearms at home. As a parent, I believe that we have a responsibility to ensure that our children can grow up without the fear of gun violence.

I grew up in a hunting family and my father taught me not only how to shoot but also how to responsibly handle firearms. I vividly remember him telling my sisters and me to go back upstairs while he cleaned his hunting rifle. Years later, I also qualified as an expert shot in the U.S. Navy. In the military, I learned both how to fire a weapon and how to securely store a firearm – locked, away from ammunition, and out of reach from those without authorized access.

As a legislator, I know that common sense gun safety legislation works – we’ve seen the results. That’s why my Secure Storage Information Act would require firearm sellers to provide secure storage information to prospective purchasers, require them to have available a variety of secure storage devices – including gun safes, trigger locks, and lock boxes – where firearms are sold, and provide a tax credit for the purchase of a qualified gun safe.

Last month, I brought together gun safety advocates, elected officials, veterans, law enforcement, and mental health professionals to discuss the potential life-saving benefits of this legislation. They each emphasized that secure storage is an incredibly effective way to reduce gun deaths. Properly stored firearms stay out the hands of children and teens, reduce accidental gun deaths, and can help to prevent suicide, including among our veterans. Just having to unlock a gun safe can be a strong deterrent from actually picking up the gun and pulling the trigger. You can listen to our full conversation here.

Secure storage is a critical first step to preventing these tragedies. Nearly 80% of school shootings since 1999 have been carried out with a weapon that the shooter took from their home or the home of a relative or friend. We need to give parents the resources to ensure their firearms can safely stay out of the hands of children and teens.

As a mom of four school-aged children, I refuse to allow gun violence to continue to be a fact of life for all of our kids. Our children deserve so much better than to grow up constantly fearing gun violence and active shooter drills, our teachers should not have to ever choose to take a bullet for their students, and parents should never have to get that dreaded call.

Know that you can count on me to continue to stand up for our children and fight for gun safety in New Jersey and across the nation. Sign up for future newsletters, and follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Threads, and X, to stay up-to-date with my work to combat gun violence.