Safe Storage
Safe storage of a firearm means locking the unloaded gun using a child proof method (such as a combination padlock) in an area that is inaccessible to children or use a safety lock on the gun. Eighteen states have enacted child access prevention (CAP) laws, which may hold adults criminally liable for failure to either store loaded firearms in a place inaccessible to children or use safety devices to lock guns. State safe-storage laws intended to prevent child access to guns have reduced unintentional firearm-related deaths among children ages 14 and under by an average of 23 percent.