Why is Firearm Safety Important?
While owning a firearm is very important for some families, it is essential to always practice firearm safety. Safely storing firearms is the best way to keep your child safe in a home with firearms.2
A firearm is any device using gunpowder and a projectile, such as a bullet. Firearms include handguns, pistols, and rifles. In Miami-Dade County, over 180,000 people have firearm licenses and may keep their firearms at home.3 In July 2023, a bill was passed allowing qualifying people to own and carry firearms in public without a license.4 In the United States, around 33% of children live in a home with a firearm.1 In almost 50% of these homes, the firearms are not stored safely.1 It is critical for all families and caretakers to know about firearm safety!
June 21st is ASK Day, when all parents should ask themselves this question: “Is there an unlocked firearm where my child plays?”5
In the United States, 8 kids per day are unintentionally harmed or killed by a family firearm, when a family member such as a sibling or parent accidentally shoots them.5 Often this is due to firearms being left out in the open instead of being properly stored. Children as young as 3 years old are strong enough to pull the trigger on a firearm.2
Additionally, children are naturally curious, and studies show most children under the age of 10 years old know where the firearms are inside their home.6 At the same time, studies also show that children under the age of 12 years old who find a firearm will often play with it and often pull the trigger, even when they have been instructed to never play with a firearm.7 Safely storing firearms significantly lowers the risk of unintentional firearm deaths and injuries.8 It is the responsibility of the adults in the home to keep their children safe from unintentional firearm injuries and death.
What is Firearm Safety?
Your pediatrician is trained to talk to you about firearm safety. Here are the core principles of keeping your children safe from harm:2
Lock your firearms in a secure place.
Children are naturally curious, starting as young as when they are learning to crawl, play, and use their hands. Do not store firearms in easy-to-reach places, such as under your bed or under the kitchen sink. Lock them away with a cable lock or lock box and keep the key in a secret place where your children cannot access it.
Store your firearms unloaded with bullets stored separately in a locked ammo box.
Do not keep your firearm loaded. Keep ammunition in a separate locked ammo box because your child will likely not be able to load the firearm themselves.
Buy a trigger lock.
Trigger locks are designed to prevent kids or untrained firearm users from pulling the trigger. Some trigger locks work as a clamp enclosing the trigger, while others work as a cable preventing the firearm from being loaded. Trigger locks can be opened by keys, combinations, or even thumbprint scanning. When you research trigger locks, make sure it meets industry safety standards and fits the model of your firearm.
Do not store your firearms in your car
In Florida, firearms in cars need to be stored and not ready for use.10 In addition to this being Florida law, it also helps prevent unintentional injury and thefts of firearms from cars.
Organizations like Project ChildSafe provides free firearm locks: Read more.
How Can I Ask the Parents of My Kids’ Friends About Firearms in the Home?
Additional Information
Finally, parents can and should ask other parents if there are firearms in the home and how they are stored before their child has a playdate or sleepover.2 Ask about how the firearms are stored when discussing other safety items like your child’s allergies. If they do not store their firearms safely, you might want to consider changing the playdate to your house instead. Accidents have happened when kids play at a friend’s house and find their firearms. Keep everyone around you safe by sharing these tips with others!
For more information about firearm safety, call the Injury Free Coalition for Kids, a program of Jackson Hospital and University of Miami Funded by the Children’s Trust at 305-243-9080 or visit www.injuryfree.org.
- Citations
- Gun Safety and Injury Prevention. Accessed May 26, 2025 . www.aap.org
- Gun Safety Campaign Toolkit. Accessed April 9, 2024. www.aap.org
- Services FD of A and C. Statistical Reports / Licensing / Divisions & Offices / Home – Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services. Accessed May 26, 2025. www.fdacs.gov
- Changes to Concealed Carry. Accessed May 26, 2025. www.miamidade.gov
- ASK Day is June 21. Brady United. Accessed May 26, 2025. www.bradyunited.org
- Baxley F, Miller M. Parental Misperceptions About Children and Firearms. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. 2006;160(5):542-547. doi:10.1001/archpedi.160.5.542
- Jackman GA, Farah MM, Kellermann AL, Simon HK. Seeing Is Believing: What Do Boys Do When They Find a Real Gun? Pediatrics. 2001;107(6):1247-1250. doi:10.1542/peds.107.6.1247
- Aitken ME, Minster SD, Mullins SH, et al. Parents’ Perspectives on Safe Storage of Firearms. J Community Health. 2020;45(3):469-477. doi:10.1007/s10900-019-00762-2
- Suicide: Blueprint for Youth Suicide Prevention. Accessed May 26, 2025. www.aap.org
- Guns in Vehicles in Florida. GIFFORDS. Accessed May 26, 2025. giffords.org
