Hi John,

An estimated 4.6 million young people in the United States live in a home with a firearm. And more than half of gun owners report not storing their firearms in a safe manner. These two facts leave Americans, and especially young people, at high risk for gun violence.

The mere presence of a gun in the home increases the risk of injury and death for all household members. For young people in particular, access to a firearm increases the risk of suicide and unintentional shootings.

The good news is we know that one simple practice makes a huge difference: safe storage. Storing guns unloaded, locked, and separate from ammunition significantly reduces the risk of injury and death. That is why a group of gun responsibility champions in Congress, led by Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT), and Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), has introduced the Safe Gun Storage Act to Save Lives.

The proposal follows the lead of the Seattle City Council, which passed its own safe storage bill in 2018. The newly-proposed federal bill would codify safe storage by directing the Consumer Product Safety Commission to establish federal safety standards for firearm locks and firearm safes.

In a country with more guns than people, safe firearm storage is critically important. It can, and often does, mean the difference between life and death. It is time for Congress to follow Washington’s lead and make safe storage the law of the land.

Please, take a minute today to thank your elected leaders already sponsoring the Safe Gun Storage Act to Save Lives and urge your other representatives to sign on as co-sponsors.

Thank you,
Dylan (he/him)