Study: Safe storage programs produce mixed results

By Christen Smith

The Government Accountability Office says in its 51-page report research regarding safe storage programs is scarce, but the few data sets available suggest programs that hand out free locking devices appear to encourage safer storage practices among gun owners. (Photo: Gunbelts.com)
A government study published this week concluded safe storage programs sometimes work — and sometimes make no difference — when it comes to preventing gun-related injuries and deaths.
The Government Office of Accountability studied 16 different nonprofit or publicly-funded safe storage programs — including the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s Project ChildSafe, Bulletproof Kids and the New Hampshire Firearm Safety Coalition — as well as a compilation of research regarding effectiveness of some of these initiatives at the request of congressional Democrats on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
The agency says in its 51-page report research regarding these programs is scarce, but the few data sets available suggest programs that hand out free locking devices appear to encourage safer storage practices among gun owners. Discussing these issues with the family physician, however, produces mixed results.
“Some found that counseling in pediatric primary care visits did not change parents’ storage behavior, but emergency care consultation following an adolescent psychiatric crisis did prompt parents to store firearms

Source: Guns.com