Unload, lock, and separate: Three simple steps to safe gun storage.

If you own a gun, you have a responsibility to practice safe gun storage. Securing your firearms ensures they are not easily accessible to kids or any other unauthorized people. Unsecured firearms can lead to unintentional shootings, suicide, or tragedies. Since 2023, there have been 42 non-fatal accidental shootings and 128 suicides using firearms in Dane County. Keep reading to find out two simple steps to prevent these kinds of tragedies.

Responsible gun ownership starts with safe storage. 

Whenever a firearm is not in use, whether it's in your home, your car, or anywhere else, it should be stored securely. Here's what that means: 

• Unload the firearm. Remove all ammunition from the firearm, including removing any chambered rounds. 
• Lock the firearm. Secure guns with a firearm locking device or in a locked location. There is a wide range of options from lockboxes to gun safes, even devices with biometric authentication. 
• Separate the ammunition. Store ammunition in a separate, locked location away from the firearm. Keeping guns and ammo apart adds a critical layer of safety, especially in homes with children, teens, or individuals in crisis. 

Have important conversations about firearm safety. 

Beyond safe storage, having conversations about gun safety is another way to practice responsible gun ownership. Start by speaking to your kids. Depending on their age, the conversation may look slightly different. The overall message is the same: any situation where there's an unsupervised gun is a dangerous situation.

• If you have young children: make it part of the normal safety conversations you have with your kids. Keep the language simple and to the point, emphasizing that a gun is not a toy.  
• If you have adolescent children: include it in general safety conversations about topics like drugs and alcohol. Tell them to immediately leave any situation where an unsecured gun is present. You can also give them strategies for removing themselves from a situation they're not comfortable with.  
• If your children are spending time with other families: Talk to other parents about their gun storage practices before your kids spend time in their homes.  

Get help deciding which gun storage option is right for you.

The BeSMART campaign is designed to promote responsible gun ownership to keep kids safe. They have a visual guidebook of options for secure gun storage devices. You can learn about the differences between a gun safe, lock box, cable lock, or other options to figure out what makes the most sense for you.