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The pursuit of gun safety in a new era: Exploring predictors of firearm storage practices among the public

Author

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  • Mancini, Christina
  • Koon-Magnin, Sarah
  • Wells, Patrick

Abstract

Given rising concerns about gun violence and the extent of parental liability, we examine firearm storage practices among the public. Using a subsample of respondents with guns in their households (n = 525) drawn from a nationally representative survey (N = 1271), we address two key research questions. First, to what extent do gun-owners engage in potentially unsafe firearm storage (e.g., keeping firearms unlocked, loaded, or with ammunition in reach)? Second, what factors are associated with these risky practices among the public? Overall, our findings suggest that prior use of guns within one's profession, personal experiences with firearms (e.g., victimization, having witnessed gun violence), living in a child-free household, and other socio-demographic factors, particularly gender, are tied with the likelihood of engaging in risky storage habits. The implications of study findings are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Mancini, Christina & Koon-Magnin, Sarah & Wells, Patrick, 2026. "The pursuit of gun safety in a new era: Exploring predictors of firearm storage practices among the public," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jcjust:v:102:y:2026:i:c:s0047235225002156
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2025.102566
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Crifasi, C.K. & Doucette, M.L. & McGinty, E.E. & Webster, D.W. & Barry, C.L., 2018. "Storage practices of US gun owners in 2016," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 108(4), pages 532-537.
    2. Haner, Murat & Sloan, Melissa M. & Pickett, Justin T. & Cullen, Francis T. & Jonson, Cheryl Lero, 2024. "Public support for safe-storage laws: White nationalism and politics as barriers to evidence-based gun policy," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    3. Hart, Timothy C. & Chataway, Michael & Mellberg, Jacques, 2022. "Measuring fear of crime during the past 25 years: A systematic quantitative literature review," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    4. Rader, Nicole E. & Cossman, Jeralynn S. & Porter, Jeremy R., 2012. "Fear of crime and vulnerability: Using a national sample of Americans to examine two competing paradigms," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 40(2), pages 134-141.
    5. Gerdes, Madison B, 2023. "Assessing the relationship between gun ownership and fear of mass shootings," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 336(C).
    6. Andrew J. Thompson & Justin T. Pickett, 2020. "Are Relational Inferences from Crowdsourced and Opt-in Samples Generalizable? Comparing Criminal Justice Attitudes in the GSS and Five Online Samples," Journal of Quantitative Criminology, Springer, vol. 36(4), pages 907-932, December.
    7. D. Mark Anderson & Joseph J. Sabia, 2018. "Child-Access-Prevention Laws, Youths' Gun Carrying, and School Shootings," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 61(3), pages 489-524.
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