Whereas, Firearms are the leading cause of death for American children and teens, and injure thousands more annually; and

Whereas, An estimated 4.6 million children live in homes with loaded, unlocked firearms, while more than half of owners acknowledge storing at least one firearm unsafely, without any locks or other safe storage measures, and nearly a quarter of all gun owners report storing all their firearms in an unlocked location in the home; and

Whereas, Over 80% of child firearm suicides involved a gun obtained from their own home or that of a friend or relative. Suicide rates among children who live in homes with firearms are four times higher than among those in homes without firearms. Most unintentional firearm-related shootings among children occur in or around the home, and most firearms used in school shootings perpetrated by shooters under the age of 18 are acquired from the home or the homes of relatives or friends; and

Whereas, Research indicates that strong child access prevention laws decrease unintentional shootings, suicides, and school shootings. States with secure storage or child access prevention laws had the lowest rates of injury or death from unintentional child shootings but only 14 states have secure storage laws; and

Whereas, Evidence strongly suggests that limiting access to firearms by children and teens limits the risk of injury and death, and the storage of a firearm locked, unloaded, or separate from ammunition can reduce the risk of suicide in children and teens; now therefore be it

Resolved, That National PTA urges its constituent organizations to raise awareness that secure gun storage, storing guns locked, unloaded and separate from ammunition, can prevent theft and access by children, unauthorized users, and anyone who may pose a danger to themselves or others, and that secure gun storage can save children’s lives; be it further

Resolved, That National PTA will work with other like-minded organizations to raise awareness about safe firearm storage and encourage its constituent organizations to collaborate with other community organizations that have similar interests and recognize that secure storage is an adult responsibility and is essential to preventing unauthorized, unsupervised access to firearms by children; be it further

Resolved, That National PTA urges its constituent associations to encourage state governments to enact laws which require owners to store firearms, whether they are loaded or unloaded, in a securely locked container, to prevent access by children under the age of 18; and be it further

Resolved, That National PTA and its constituent associations support legislation that educates, incentivizes, or requires adults to store their firearms safely in coordination with programs and information as described above.