Criminal Justice Professor Jillian Peterson co-authored a new article in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine with Professor James Densley (Metro State University) and Professor David Pyrooz (University of Colorado, Boulder) entitled Factors Associated With Secure Firearm Storage Among U.S. Gun Owners.
This study explored safe storage habits among a nationally representative sample of 10,000 US adults. They found that the more worried people are about being shot, the less likely they are to lock and unload their guns. Parents were 40% more likely to store firearms securely. Owners who hunt or collect guns were twice as likely to lock them up compared with those who keep a gun primarily for self-protection. Only the most stringent child-access-prevention laws shifted behavior; moderate versions showed no measurable impact. Read the full article here.