Starting high school was a big deal for 14-year-old Mason Shermerhorn. He was in his first month at Apalachee High School when his dreams—and his life—were cut short by a mass shooting. His friends and family will never see him graduate, chase his ambitions, or simply come home after class.
This tragedy is a reminder that while gun violence takes many forms, some of the most preventable deaths happen far from the headlines—inside our own homes. And one of the simplest, most effective ways to save lives is also one of the least discussed: safe gun storage.
Backpacks, lunchboxes… and a gun safe?
As families gear up for the school year, most back-to-school checklists look the same—pencils, folders, new sneakers. But for millions of households with firearms, there’s one safety item that should be as essential as a bike helmet or seatbelt: a secure way to store your gun.
The Numbers Tell the Story—and the Faces Behind Them
Over 50 million children live in homes with firearms, and 4.6 million live in households where guns are both unlocked and loaded.
According to CDC data, unintentional firearm deaths among children most often happen at home, during play—in 67% of cases, the gun was being shown to or handled by another child.
Laws help—but culture does, too.
States with Child Access Prevention (CAP) and safe-storage laws see results:
- 13% fewer unintentional youth firearm deaths
- 15% fewer firearm homicides among youth
- 12% fewer firearm suicides among youth
CAP laws hold adults accountable for leaving guns where kids can access them. Normalizing the question—“Is there an unlocked gun in your home?”—before a playdate is part of that culture shift.
Why It Matters Now
Back-to-school season is when parents double-check car seats, talk about stranger danger, and update emergency contacts. But for families with guns at home, the most effective safety step—safe storage—is often missing from the list.
Kids don’t just visit their own homes. They go to friends’ houses, ride in carpools, and have sleepovers. Every unsecured gun is a risk, no matter whose it is.
The Action Plan: Lock, Unload, Separate
The safest storage method combines three steps:
- Lock firearms in a cabinet, safe, or lockbox
- Keep them unloaded when not in use
- Store ammunition separately
This isn’t just theory—CDC research shows that storing guns locked, unloaded, and with ammunition stored separately saves lives. Access to safe-storage tools is easier than ever: Project Childsafe offers free cable locks through local law enforcement, and many hospitals now provide them to families, no questions asked.
The Bottom Line
This August, alongside notebooks and sneakers, add a safe-storage device to the cart. Because the safest school year starts at home.
Angela Passalacqua is an intern with San Diegans for Gun Violence Prevention.