A billboard in St. Paul promotes safe gun storage. Photo by Max Nesterak/Minnesota Reformer.
Today, the leading cause of death for American children is firearms. Tragically, many of these deaths result from suicides with unsecured guns in their own or a friend’s home. Others are due to homicides involving stolen guns. Most of these children might still be alive if these guns were stored securely. In Minnesota alone, firearms are found in over a third of households, with more than half unlocked and 20% stored loaded, according to the CDC.
So, how can we save lives? We need a social movement for safe firearm storage.
University of Minnesota anthropology professor Luther Gerlach studied movements like Black Power, Pentecostalism, and environmental action, identifying five key elements in a social movement:
- a network of organizations that communicate but act independently;
- a way to recruit new members;
- a process to commit members to the cause;
- a clear ideology;
- and, opposition to a real or perceived threat.
This framework could drive a secure firearm storage movement, just as it did for the smoke-free movement that now lets us dine, fly and receive medical care without breathing tobacco smoke.
Many pieces of this movement already exist. Organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics, Protect Minnesota, Moms Demand Action and Everytown are advocating for secure storage. Campaigns like Be Smart provide resources for parents, including text messages and videos on how to ask if firearms in another home are stored securely before a playdate or party.
Individual leaders are stepping up, too.
Dr. Marc Gorelick, president and CEO of Children’s Minnesota, addresses the issue in his book, Saving Our Children. (And in a recent Reformer commentary.)
Researchers from Protect Minnesota, the University of Minnesota, Children’s Minnesota, the Minnesota Medical Association and HealthPartners Institute are mapping locations for secure, off-site gun storage and analyzing how doctors can better encourage safe storage practices with their patients.
The movement’s message is simple: All firearms should be stored securely. Biometric pistol safes can be purchased for under $100, making it easy for gun owners who need quick access to still store their firearms safely. This movement stands in opposition to the tragic, avoidable deaths of thousands of American children every year.
Caregivers have a huge opportunity to spread this movement. Most people join social movements through conversations with family and friends. Asking about gun storage while setting up playdates or birthday parties is one way caregivers can protect their kids and others’ — while also raising awareness.
A single question —”Are all firearms in your home stored securely?”—and a follow-up ask, “Please add secure gun storage to your child’s safety check list,” could spark a ripple effect.
A social movement for secure firearm storage won’t bring back those we’ve lost, but it can save lives going forward.