A Bipartisan Solution to Save Lives in Our Communities

By Del. Ashanti Martinez (MD), NHCSL's Law and Criminal Justice Task Force Vice-Chair

Download the 2024-2025 Winter Edition of NHCSL's Newsletter here.

There is no corner of our country that hasn’t been touched by gun violence. According to the CDC, 2023 had the third-highest number of gun-related deaths ever recorded, while 2022 had the second highest. Moreover, gun violence poses a disproportionate risk to our communities across the United States.

Every year, nearly 5,000 Latinos lose their lives to gun violence, a rate that far exceeds that of their non-Hispanic counterparts. Alarmingly, over 36 % of gun-related deaths among Hispanics are deaths by suicides, with a sharp increase of 110 % over the past decade specifically among young Hispanics.

While the gun violence incidents we can collectively remember or evoke are mostly mass shootings, unintentional shootings, especially among children and teenagers, are also a major concern. Currently, there are firearms in around 30 million households nationwide, and at least half of gun owners don’t store their guns securely. This puts families, especially children and teenagers, at significant risk because unsecured guns are a leading cause of accidental firearm injuries, with over 360 children under the age of 18 unintentionally shooting themselves or others every year.

A 2019 study published in JAMA Pediatrics showed that in homes where guns are stored securely, the risk of injury is 78 % lower than in homes where neither the gun nor the ammunition is locked up. In households where children live, the risk drops even further when guns are properly stored—by as much as 85 %.

Each year, more than 200,000 firearms are stolen in the U.S., many of which are retrieved from vehicles. Securing firearms properly makes them less prone to being stolen and ending up in illegal markets or used in gun violence incidents like homicide and assault.

Secure Storage Saves Lives

In states with laws requiring secure storage, there has been a measurable decline in gun-related suicides and injuries. Teenagers between the ages of 14 and 17 in states with child access prevention laws saw an 8 % reduction in suicide rates and an 11 % decrease in firearm suicides. In fact, youth deaths by suicide with guns in states with the most protective secure storage laws were 1 % lower in 2022 than in 1999, while states without such laws saw a 36 % increment over the same period.

With these facts in mind, our Caucus approved Res. 2024-16 Secure Weapons Storage, calling for legislation that requires the secure storage of firearms in homes, particularly when firearms are not in use. Specifically, we propose four key provisions: (1) securing all firearms in a household by storing in a locked safe or container or equipped with a disabling mechanism when not in use; (2) securing firearms left unattended in vehicles to prevent theft; (3) thefts and losses reporting requirements to help curb illegal gun trafficking and prevent firearms from being used in crimes; and, (4) public awareness campaigns to educate gun owners about secure storage practices, with a special emphasis in schools distributing information about safe firearm storage to parents and guardians.

By passing laws in our states that require the secure storage of firearms in homes and vehicles, reporting lost or stolen firearms, and promoting public awareness, we can take a critical step toward reducing gun related injuries, suicides, and crime. And it can be done with bipartisan support. This upcoming state legislative session, take a bold step to protect kids, teenagers and communities in your state and propose safe gun storage legislation. This action can—and will—save lives.