As we’ve seen a rise in gun violence and school shootings in recent years, many people are looking for ways they can take action to help prevent these senseless acts of violence. One easy step anyone who owns or uses guns can take is to ensure firearms are securely stored and locked when not in use. This is the best way to prevent curious kids from getting hurt with firearms, youth and adults in crisis from using a family firearm for suicide, and firearms from being stolen and misused by others.
Free gun lockbox giveaway event with the Seahawks
As a part of King County’s 100 Days of Action against gun violence, Public Health’s Regional Office of Gun Violence Prevention is expanding its ongoing work to distribute free gun lockboxes to anyone in King County. We’re proud to be partnering with the Seahawks to host a free gun lockbox giveaway at Lumen Field, to give away 3,000 free gun lockboxes. The event will be held on September 26, from 10 AM to 2 PM, at Muckleshoot Plaza at Lumen Field. All are welcome, and free gun lockboxes will be available while supplies last. The event will also feature a resource fair highlighting community organizations who provide violence-prevention services and care around King County.
“Gun violence is a serious issue that affects everyone,” said Mario Bailey, Seattle Seahawks Vice President of Community Engagement & Legends. “These lockboxes will undoubtedly save lives, so we are proud to support King County and Public Health’s Regional Office of Gun Violence Prevention in their efforts to increase gun safety in our community through the Lock It Up initiative.”
Why safe gun storage is so important
Ensuring your firearms are safely stored and locked when you’re not using them is one way to keep guns out of the pipeline that fuels community violence. Firearms stolen from private owners often end up being used in other crimes. It’s particularly important that gun owners extend safe storage practices to their cars, not just their homes. The most common place for guns to be reported stolen in King County is from motor vehicles. The free gun lockboxes we’ll be distributing at the event on September 26th are small enough to easily fit in your vehicle.
Storing household firearms safely also reduces the risk of curious kids getting unintentionally hurt or killed by playing with the family gun. Kids love to explore and play with things that have moving parts, so it’s vital that they don’t have any way to access dangerous items like firearms.
Finally, safe gun storage can help prevent a loved one in crisis from using an unsecured firearm for suicide. We know that impulsivity plays a significant role in suicide attempts; easy access to highly lethal means, such as firearms, increases risk. While we often talk about gun violence in terms of tragic homicides, the truth is that even more gun deaths (70% in King County) are suicides. Evidence shows that restricting access to lethal means is an effective way to reduce suicide. Any form of gun violence, whether a suicide, homicide, or an accident, is a tragic event that secure gun storage can help to prevent.
For more data about firearm storage and theft in King County, visit our firearm storage data dashboard.
Tips on safe storage
There are many ways to store a firearm safely: you can use a safe or a lockbox, or secure it with a trigger lock or cable lock. You and people you trust should be the only ones who can access your firearm. It’s important that children and other unauthorized people do not know the location of the key, or the combination.
The safest way to store a firearm is to store your gun unloaded, with ammunition stored in a separate locked container. Some safe storage devices can’t be used with a loaded gun.
Visit our Lock it Up Program webpage for more information about safe storage devices, available in many languages, and where to buy them.
Originally published September 23, 2024