Background: Unsafe storage of firearms in households with children is associated with increased risk of suicide and unintentional injury. Since 2015, numerous states have passed Child Access Prevention laws (CAP laws) to reduce youth access to firearms. This study examines the association of CAP laws on unsafe gun storage among US households with children.
Methods: A blocked cross-sectional study was conducted using household responses from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). The study sample included 22,979 households in 2017, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 that reported having children and firearms present in the home. States were categorized based on having a CAP law in effect during survey years. The primary outcome was self-reported unsafe firearm storage. Differences in unsafe storage between CAP law states and non-CAP law states were estimated with a 95% confidence interval.
Results: Households in states with CAP laws reported a 5.85% decrease in unsafe gun storage compared to states without CAP laws (95% CI, 5.09%-6.61%). However, data restricted to the years 2017 and 2021 did not indicate a significant difference, indicating nuance in the data.
Implications: CAP laws are associated with a decrease in reported rates of unsafe gun storage in households with children. Prior studies have suggested that decreasing access to lethal means of suicide has a significant impact on reducing youth suicide mortality. Variability in sections of the data suggests that although CAP laws should be included included in youth suicide prevention measures, complimentary interventions like physician counseling and public education should likely be considered a well.
