How can safe-storage devices reduce accidental firearm deaths?

Safe-storage devices and safety mechanisms are critical tools for reducing accidental firearm deaths, as they create physical barriers between individuals—particularly children—and lethal force.

According to the U.S. General Accountability Office (GAO), approximately 31 percent of total accidental shooting deaths could be prevented through the use of such devices. Specifically:1

• Automatic child-proof safety locks: These could prevent 100 percent of annual deaths in which children under six years of age shoot themselves or another child.1
• Loading indicators: These devices, which show when a bullet is in the chamber, could prevent 23 percent of accidental shooting deaths involving adolescents and adults each year.1

Experts emphasize that because children are naturally curious and impulsive, education alone is often insufficient to "gun-proof" them. Therefore, there is a fundamental ethical responsibility to prioritize physical safety measures, such as locking devices, to keep firearms out of the hands of children, much like using safety caps on medications or gates around swimming pools.1