By Joe Bartozzi
The horrific crimes that took the lives of four, injured another nine and shocked a community and the nation naturally causes us all to do some introspection. Searching for reasons why a mentally disturbed individual committed unspeakable acts is to be expected. Trying to understand why a parent, who knows a child has already been accused of making criminal threats to shoot up a school, would believe it is responsible and safe to purchase a firearm for that teen is but one answer on which all are waiting.
It defies logic. It defies reason. None of us who value the gifts of life, of family, of their futures is left untouched. That includes those of us in the firearm and ammunition industry.
This despicable act of criminal violence committed by a mentally deranged teen was preventable. Sadly, it happened while NSSF was promoting Gun Storage Check Week. That’s a week designated to remind gun owners to make an assessment of how their firearms are stored, determine if improvements should be made and ensure that firearms are beyond the reach of those who should never – under any circumstances – possess a firearm.
Gun Storage Check Week was designed by NSSF as a public outreach campaign to remind gun owners to be the example of responsibility. The national campaign urges gun owners to “Make Sure Its Secure™.” The week-long campaign was promoted earlier this year and again at the beginning of September to coincide with National Suicide Prevention Month.
The tragic news from Georgia last week is a stark reminder that there are many reasons why gun owners should periodically review their firearm storage plan. NSSF is committed to this effort. It is more than a slogan. Secure firearm storage saves lives. Every responsible gun owner should securely store firearms when they are not in use to prevent a tragedy. Firearms not in use should never be accessible to an unsupervised child, a prohibited individual or someone suffering through suicidal ideations.
NSSF stands behind two very sound principles. The Second Amendment guarantees the rights of every law-abiding citizen to both keep and bear arms. That is non-negotiable. Equally as important – is the principle that every law-abiding gun owner has a responsibility to safely and securely store their firearms when they are not being used.
Last week’s tragic events in Georgia were entirely preventable. The teen accused of committing these murders was previously investigated by the FBI for making threats to target a school over a year before he committed his crimes. His father was fully-aware of those threats. He knew his son was bullied at school and was struggling. Yet he ignored this information and purchased a firearm for his child who clearly showed signs of criminal and violent intent.
NSSF is doing more than just publicizing Gun Storage Check Week twice a year. Safe and secure firearm storage is an ongoing and continuous practice, no less important than safe firearm handling and marksmanship skills. That’s why NSSF provides tools to review and assess which secure firearm storage methods best suit an individual’s lifestyle.
Firearm manufacturers provide an owner’s manual with each firearm they sell that warns the owner of the importance of safely storing the firearm when not in use. And manufacturers include locking devices with each firearm they ship from their factories. That’s a voluntary safety practice that’s been in place for over 25 years. NSSF took it a step further with Project ChildSafe to partner with 15,000 law enforcement agencies in all 50 states and five U.S. territories to distribute over 41 million firearm safety kits, free of charge. Those kits have instructions for secure firearm storage and include a locking device. When combined with the locks included by the manufacturers and those distributed through Project ChildSafe, that totals more than 100 million locks to keep firearms secure.
However, cable or trigger-locking devices might not suit the needs of everyone. There are a wide variety of secure firearm storage options that can meet the needs of today’s gun owners. Electronic lock boxes are available for those who may want to have quick access to a firearm but ensure children, prohibited individuals or others cannot access a firearm. Full size and biometric safes are available if that’s what best meets the needs to store multiple firearms. Firearm retailers all across America stock storage options for gun owners to purchase. NSSF further encourages gun owners to consider lockable storage options for vehicles to prevent firearms from being stolen from cars.
For many, these options are familiar. For some, especially the millions of new gun owners over recent years, this might be new. Part of responsible firearm ownership is passing along the expectations of safe and secure storage just as much as teaching safe firearm handling skills. No responsible gun owner should ever tolerate someone violating the basic safety rules for handling firearms. The same expectations for secure firearm storage should be just as high.
Gun Storage Check Week has concluded, but NSSF’s commitment to secure and responsible firearm storage has not – and never will. Lives literally depend on every gun owner doing their part to assess, and periodically reassess, how they store their firearms. Lifestyles change. The need to securely store firearms doesn’t.
Securing firearms when they are not being used saves lives. NSSF is committed to educating and providing resources to gun owners to ensure every gun owner not only preaches this but also practices it.
Joe Bartozzi is the President and CEO of the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
Sold my safes and built a firearms room.