Gun storage: Are NJ parents following the rules?

Experts want you to be triple safe when you store a gun in your home and there's a chance kids could get their hands on it: leave the firearm unloaded, put it in a secure spot, and keep the ammunition in a different location.

Research out of Rutgers Health suggests that's not as common of a practice as you may think in New Jersey or other states.

The study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, surveyed close to 900 parents across nine states, including New Jersey.

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In the study, 17% of parents with firearms in the home reported storing at least one firearm both loaded and unlocked. This practice was more common among adults who demonstrated proper firearm handling with their children, or taught their children how to shoot.

"We just want to make sure that safety education isn't replacing secure storage," said Jennifer Paruk, the study's lead author and a researcher at the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center.

In New Jersey, a gun owner can be criminally liable if they store a loaded gun where a child can access it.

"We know that if kids can access firearms inside the home, that increases the risk for child suicide and unintentional firearm deaths," Paruk said. "Storing firearms securely – locked up, unloaded, and separate from ammunition – is associated with decreased risk of firearm injury and death for kids."

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Firearms continue to be the leading cause of death for children and teens in the United States. The cause surpassed motor vehicle accidents in 2020.

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