Strategy Description
To better promote the use of safe firearm storage, staff conducting outreach should distribute a variety of free firearm locking devices or refer people to a resource that distributes free devices. Additionally, staff trained in crisis support should provide referrals to organizations that provide free locking devices in combination with the firearm access and storage counseling they already do. Developing evidence suggests that providing free firearm secure storage devices promotes use of the devices.
Action Steps Based on the Literature
- Provide free firearm locking devices directly to firearm owners: Providing firearm locking devices such as trigger lock, cable lock, or lock box, to firearm owners at no cost can promote use of secure storage options1,2,3,4,5.
- Consider firearm owners’ preferences for specific types of firearm locking devices: When possible, firearm owners should have a choice in the specific type of free locking devices they receive to promote use2,5,6.
- Identify additional community groups that provide free locking devices: Crisis line and/or other crisis service staff should be knowledgeable on additional community resources for obtaining locking devices so that they can share those resources with firearm owners and helpseekers7.
- Address resource implications of distribution: Crisis lines and/or other crisis services looking to provide free firearm locking devices need to account for the time and resource implications of the strategy2.
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Evidence Summary
Due in part to firearm owners’ concerns about access to firearms when needed for personal safety and perceptions of the ineffectiveness of secure storage for the prevention of firearm-related injury and death, secure firearm storage is not widely practiced in the U.S.6. However, there is strong evidence that reducing access to lethal means, and, more specifically, putting time or distance between a person at elevated risk for suicide and a firearm, decreases the likelihood of suicide3,4. Due to the disconnect between the evidence of the effectiveness of secure storage and firearm owner perceptions and level of use, context-driven promotion of secure storge may be needed. There is emerging evidence that demonstrates that providing free locking devices or lock boxes to firearm owners encourages use of those devices.
The CDC National Center for Injury Prevention and Control promotes providing secure firearm storage solutions as an evidence-informed approach to increase secure storage practices which, in turn, can decrease likelihood of suicide3. A handful of studies have found that providing secure firearm storage devices in addition to lethal means counseling promotes safe firearm storage for parents with children at risk for suicide presenting in emergency departments2 and firearm-owning members of a state national guard group6. One community-based intervention that provided participants with firearm safety messages and a free locking device of participant’s choice resulted in significant increases in participants keeping firearms locked at home at the follow-up survey5. When firearm owners had a choice in the type of secure storage they received in these studies, people largely preferred lock boxes, compared to cable locks or trigger locks. Many study authors suggest letting firearm owners choose their device type to promote use that fits owners’ needs1,2,5.
References
- Anestis, M. D., Bryan, C. J., Capron, D. W., & Bryan, A. O. (2021). Lethal means counseling, distribution of cable Locks, and safe firearm storage practices among the Mississippi National Guard: A factorial randomized controlled trial, 2018–2020. American Journal of Public Health, 111(2), 309–317. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2020.306019
- Barber, C., Azrael, D., Berrigan, J., Betz, M. E., Brandspigel, S., Runyan, C., Salhi, C., Vriniotis, M., & Miller, M. (2023). Selection and use of firearm and medication locking devices in a lethal means counseling intervention. Crisis: The Journal of Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention, 44(3), 216–223. https://doi.org/10.1027/0227-5910/a000855
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC]. (2022). Suicide Prevention Resource for Action: A Compilation of the Best Available Evidence. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/resources/prevention.html
- National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, Lethal Means Stakeholder Group. (2020). Lethal Means & Suicide Prevention: A Guide for Community & Industry Leaders. Washington, DC: Education Development Center. Retrieved from https://theactionalliance.org/sites/default/files/lethal_means_and_suicide_prevention-a_guide_for_community_and_industry_leaders_final_1.pdf
- Simonetti, J. A., Rowhani-Rahbar, A., King, C., Bennett, E., & Rivara, F. P. (2018). Evaluation of a community-based safe firearm and ammunition storage intervention. Injury Prevention, 24(3), 218. https://doi.org/10.1136/injuryprev-2016-042292
- Anestis, M. D., Bond, A. E., Moceri-Brooks, J., Bandel, S. L., & Semenza, D. (2024). Perceptions of the utility of secure firearm storage methods as a suicide prevention tool among firearm owners who currently store their firearms loaded and unlocked. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 54(1), 122–128. https://doi.org/10.1111/sltb.13023
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [HHS]. (2024). National Strategy for Suicide Prevention. Washington, DC: HHS. Retrieved from https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/national-strategy-suicide-prevention.pdf
Implementation Examples
- The National Shooting Sports Foundation’s Project ChildSafe distributes free firearm safety kits that include a firearm cable lock through police departments and other organizations. People can find distributing organizations in their area on the Project ChildSafe website.
- The federal Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) promotes secure firearm storage on its Firearm Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety webpages and distributes free cable locks to veterans. In 2023, the VA provided 1 million firearm cable locks to veterans7.
- The Seattle Children’s Hospital and other clinical and community partners sponsored firearm safety events at local community sporting goods stores that sold firearms in two Washington counties5. Organizers promoted the events widely in the community and focused on messaging around keeping children and families safe. In addition to a locking device of their choice, participants received brief firearm safety messages from staff, demonstrations on how to use both a lock box and a firearm trigger lock, and the opportunity to test out the devices. In a follow-up survey completed by 66% of participants, 75% indicated they were using the locking device provided at the community event.
- As part of a larger study, behavior health clinicians in seven emergency departments in Colorado provided firearm lock boxes in combination with lethal means counseling to parents whose child was experiencing a suicide-related or behavioral health issue2. The study team engaged in extensive research to choose devices, looking at available safety standards, reading product reviews and gun owner discussion boards, and consulting with an expert on lock boxes. Their device selection criteria included:
- falls within budget of $50 per device (low budget for lock boxes)
- protects against nonexpert attempts to gain access
- uses a 4-character combination lock (switched to a device with a 3-character combination during the study)
- can store two handguns
- can be secured to another structure
- can be opened in the dark (to address parental concerns of personal safety)
- In the same study as above2, cable locks were provided as a back-up device for families who had long firearms or multiple firearms. For the intervention, behavioral health clinicians in the emergency departments distributed separate devices for medications and firearms, as opposed to a single lock box for both, because people likely need to access medicine storage more frequently than firearm storage. Separate storage could prevent incidental access to firearms when getting medicine. Of note, most (81%) parents with firearms in the home were already using some form of secure storage. At follow-up, people who received lock boxes were more likely than those who received cable locks to use the distributed device. Parents who received a drawer-sized lock box were more likely to use the device when compared to parents who received a bulkier and heavy lock box.
Implementation Resources
- This resource from Project Child Safe and The Firearm Industry Trade Association provides a brief overview of the following types of gun storage: cable lock, gun case, lock box, electronic lock box, gun safes, console storage, cargo area storage, wireless gun safe monitor, and electronic holsters. Each has a brief description, as well as the key features, a picture, and approximate price.