More than half of firearm-owning families with young children report insecure storage

More than half of US firearm-owning families with children aged 1 to 5 years reported that at least 1 household firearm was stored unlocked, loaded, or both, according to research presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 2026 National Conference & Exhibition in San Diego, California.^1,2

The study, “Handgun and Long Gun Ownership and Storage in Families With Young Children,” included 843 firearm-owning parents and examined firearm types, reasons for ownership, and storage practices. Investigators found differences in secure storage according to the types of firearms present in the home.²

“We found that many children under age 5 live in homes where firearms are not stored securely,” Andrew Hashikawa, MD, MS, FAAP, clinical professor of emergency medicine and pediatrics at the University of Michigan, said in a press release. “Families often own firearms to protect their loved ones, but leaving them unlocked can put young children at risk. Keeping every firearm locked and unloaded is an important part of keeping children safe.”

Firearm ownership and storage among families

Hashikawa and senior author Alison L. Miller, PhD, conducted a cross-sectional, nationally representative online survey of US firearm-owning parents of children aged 1 to 5 years using a national panel. Participants were aged 18 years or older, English-speaking, and living in a household with firearms.

Parents provided information about sociodemographic characteristics, firearm types, storage practices, and their primary reason for firearm ownership, including protection, recreation, and hunting. Secure storage was defined as storing all household firearms both locked and unloaded. Storage was considered not secure if any firearm was loaded, unlocked, or both.

More than 94% of respondents reported owning a handgun. Overall, 51% owned handguns only, 44% owned both handguns and long guns, and 5% owned long guns only. Families owned an average of just under 3 firearms.

Protection was the most commonly cited reason for firearm ownership, reported by 77% of parents.

The investigators found that families owning only handguns were more likely to report secure storage than families owning both handguns and long guns. Secure storage was reported by 41.5% of handgun-only households compared with 30.7% of households with both firearm types (χ²=14.1; P<.001).

Across the study population, however, more than half of families reported that at least 1 household firearm was stored unlocked, loaded, or both.

Findings may inform pediatric firearm safety discussions

The findings are particularly relevant for families with young children because unintentional firearm injuries are increasing among children younger than 6 years, according to the study authors. The investigators also noted that household firearms stored loaded and unlocked are involved in most of these injuries and that handguns account for most unintentional firearm deaths among young children.

The study suggests that firearm type and the reasons families own firearms may be considerations when discussing injury prevention. Because protection was the most common motivation for ownership, the authors stated that firearm safety messaging could be tailored to families' motivations and the types of firearms present in their homes.

The authors also proposed partnering with families who already practice secure storage as one potential approach for encouraging other parents of young children to adopt similar practices.

For pediatricians, the findings provide additional data on firearm ownership and storage patterns among households with children aged 1 to 5 years. The authors emphasized secure storage of handguns in particular while recommending that all household firearms be stored locked and unloaded.

References

1. American Academy of Pediatrics. Firearm-owning parents of young children often store at least one firearm without secure storage. Eurekalert. October 2, 2026. Accessed October 2, 2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1145236

2. Hashikawa A, Miller AL. Handgun and long gun ownership and storage in families with young children. Abstract presented at: American Academy of Pediatrics 2026 National Conference & Exhibition; October 2-6, 2026; San Diego, CA.