'Make Sure It's Secure™' is the campaign's
message to prevent unwanted access to firearms
WASHINGTON, May 16, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- NSSF®, The Firearm Industry Trade
Association, will launch the inaugural Gun Storage Check Week on
June 1-7 to remind firearm owners to
review their storage practices with the goal of preventing unwanted
access to their guns.
"Securely storing guns when they're not in
use can save lives," said Joe
Bartozzi, President and CEO of NSSF.
"Securely storing guns when they're not in use can save lives.
It's really that simple," said Joe Bartozzi, President and CEO
of NSSF. "No one wants their gun in the hands of an unsupervised
child, a person in crisis, someone who does not understand how to
safely operate firearms, or a thief. If something bad happens
because your gun isn't stored securely, you'll regret it, probably
forever."
Bartozzi said that Gun Storage Check Week is a time for firearm
owners to make sure their guns are securely stored when not in use.
The goal is to help prevent firearm accidents, especially those
involving children, suicides and thefts. "Hiding a gun on top of a
refrigerator or a closet shelf or in some other location is not a
substitute for secure, locked storage," Bartozzi emphasized.
The campaign's slogan is "Make Sure
It's Secure™."
Secure Storage and Suicide Prevention
Each year more than half of all firearm-related fatalities are
suicide deaths, and among veterans the rate tops 72 percent.
"Suicide is preventable," said Bartozzi. "Gun owners and their
families can save lives by becoming more open to discussing factors
that contribute to suicide risk and by preventing access to
firearms when someone is at risk. Supporting someone who is
struggling and being respectful of the right to own firearms can go
together."
When a person in crisis cannot access a firearm, a vital pause
occurs that allows time for the period of acute risk to pass or for
intervention to take place, and that pause can save a life. When
circumstances warrant it, temporary offsite storage can be a
solution, but remember to follow applicable firearm transfer
laws.
Gun Storage Check Week's safety resources highlight many options
to store firearms securely so that guns are off limits to
unauthorized persons. Secure gun storage devices include:
- cable locks—often available free of charge, including through
NSSF's Project ChildSafe® program
- lock boxes—a storage solution for guns kept for home security
and in vehicles
- lockable gun cases—for security and portability
- full-size gun cabinets and safes—for owners with multiple
firearms to protect, including against fire and theft.
The GunStorageCheck.org website provides resources to help gun
owners decide which locked storage device can best meet their
needs.
Win a Lock Box
For those who own firearms for home and personal security and
are concerned with readiness, lock boxes are a trusted storage
solution that are available in a range of models using keys, access
codes or biometrics. Visitors to gunstoragecheck.org will have the
opportunity to enter the Gun Storage Check Week Sweepstakes to win
one of 25 ShotLock lock boxes, and they can gain extra entries to
win by watching a firearm safety video.
Free cable gun locks are available in thousands of
communities across the country through NSSF's Project ChildSafe
program in partnership with law enforcement agencies.
"Periodically, all gun owners should review their firearm
storage practices because people's lives change—a child grows older
and becomes more curious, a teenager or adult happens to be going
through a rough patch in life," said Bartozzi. "These and
other situations might require a change in storage habits or
devices.
"Make Gun Storage Check Week the time you check the box on
safety in your home by making sure firearms are secured from
unwanted access," said Bartozzi.
Promotional Materials
Organizations, companies, law enforcement and individuals can
help increase the visibility of Gun Storage Check Week by using
promotional materials available at GunStorageCheck.org. Gun Storage
Check Week will repeat September 1-7
during National Suicide Prevention Month.
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SOURCE NATIONAL SHOOTING SPORTS FOUNDATION