New York Safe Storage Law – What it means for gun owners living with children

On August 1, 2019   /   Whats New  

New York Safe Storage Law
What it means for gun owners living with children

 

ALBANY – Gun owners in New York will soon be guilty of a crime if they don’t lock up their firearms while living in a home with someone under the age of 16.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the “safe storage” bill into law Tuesday, expanding the state’s existing lock-up rules in hopes of making it more difficult for children to get access to guns.

Cuomo also signed a measure Tuesday prohibiting the manufacturing, sale and possession of guns that are not picked up by metal detectors, a measure meant to outlaw 3D-printed guns.

Starting Sept. 28, gun owners living with a child could face a Class A misdemeanor charge if they don’t use a gun-locking device or lock their firearms in a cabinet or safe while the gun is out of their immediate possession.

The charge carries a penalty of up to one year in prison or three years probation and a fine of up to $1,000.

If a gun isn’t locked up while a child is visiting or could otherwise gain access, the owner would face a violation with a fine of up to $250.

Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, D-Scarsdale, Westchester County, said the bill, which she sponsored, was inspired by a number of child deaths related to unlocked guns in homes.

That includes the 2010 death of 12-year old Nicholas Naumkin, who was accidentally shot by a friend who was playing with his father’s gun in a Saratoga County home.

“Given everything we know about the effect a gun in the home can have on our children’s health and safety, and the many tragic stories when a firearm was left unattended by an adult, this law is absolutely necessary for keeping our kids safe,” Paulin said in a statement.

The 2013 SAFE Act required gun owners to lock up their firearms in their homes only if living with someone who was legally prohibited from possessing a firearm, such as those convicted of felonies or domestic-violence crimes or who are otherwise subject to an order of protection.

The new law, which takes effect Sept. 28, expands it to include anyone living with (or reasonably expecting a visit from) someone under the age of 16.

It applies when the gun is outside of the owners direct control. There are exceptions for those under the age of 16 who are being supervised and hold a hunting license or are participating in a marksmanship program, which were approved in a separate bill.

The law doesn’t supersede any local laws that may carry additional storage requirements.

https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/politics/albany/2019/07/30/new-york-safe-storage-law-what-means-gun-owners-living-children/1866895001/

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Project Childsafe Videos

On April 22, 2019   /   Whats New  

REPOST FROM PROJECT CHILDSAFE:

 

Project Childsafe is excited to announce the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) and the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) have released a new video series, “Many Paths to Firearm Safety,” to help new and potential gun owners understand their responsibilities if they decide to keep firearms in the home.

https://projectchildsafe.org/educationalvideos

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Firearm Safety in Vehicles

On April 7, 2018   /   Whats New  
Firearm Safety in Vehicles

STORING FIREARMS IN VEHICLES TO PREVENT THEFT AND MISUSE

(published by Project Child Safe)

We travel with our firearms all the time, taking them to the range, on hunting trips or carrying them on our person, as permitted by law. As a result, there will be times when you might have to leave your firearm in your vehicle.

This creates a situation that deserves careful consideration—the last thing you want is to have your gun stolen and potentially misused by a criminal. In some states, you could even be subject under the law to serious penalties and fines for failure to properly secure a firearm.

Unfortunately, thefts of firearms from vehicles are on the rise. Thieves commonly steal cars and trucks even when they don’t obviously contain firearms—a reminder that vehicle door locks are not totally secure.

As a responsible gun owner concerned about your firearms falling into the wrong hands, it’s best to always remember this rule: Your firearm must be under your control at all times; when it’s not, it should be placed in locked storage and out of sight. Locking the doors on your vehicle does not constitute secure firearm storage. As one writer put it: “Cars and trucks aren’t safes. And they’re not holsters. They’re not storage containers.”

The glove compartment or console of your car or truck, even if lockable, should not be considered a secure storage device either, as it can be pried open too easily.

If you need to leave your firearm in a vehicle, here are some important safety considerations to keep in mind to help prevent theft and unauthorized access.

Take note of and safely control the muzzle direction of firearms in vehicles. This is one of the main rules of gun safety and applies to the inside of vehicles as well as any other location.

• When finished using your firearm outside your vehicle, unload it before you re-enter your vehicle.

• Even after a long hunt or a day in the sun at the range, always check, and then double check, that guns are unloaded before placing them in a car or truck.

• Be very careful if you must unload a firearm in the confined space of a vehicle so as not to have an accidental discharge. If your location allows, it is safer and easier to unload the firearm outside the vehicle.

• Never leave firearms in an area of the vehicle where they are accessible to children or pets.

• Use secure temporary storage for firearms in vehicles.

• A lockable gun case or a lock box may be the most practical choice to securely store a gun in a vehicle. These come in a range of prices and models.

• If you’re concerned about quick access to your firearm, many types of lockable safes allow for extremely fast access of your gun while at the same time helping to prevent unauthorized access.

• Secure the lock box to the vehicle, if possible. Some companies make custom concealed compartments for specific model vehicles.

• Keep firearms and ammunition out of sight to avoid tempting thieves.

Visit ProjectChildSafe.org and NSSF.org/Safety

for additional firearms safety information.

 

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GAO REPORT SUPPORTS PROJECT CHILDSAFE® EFFECTIVENES

On November 1, 2017   /   Whats New  

REPOST FROM NSSF NEWSLETTER – October 30, 2017 | Vol. 18 No. 43

GAO REPORT SUPPORTS PROJECT CHILDSAFE® EFFECTIVENESS … A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report confirms distribution of free gun locks helps increase use of safe storage practices. Read more on how the work of NSSF’s Project ChildSafe in distributing 37 million safety kits with gun locks across the country is making an impact.

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NSSF RELEASES NEW RANGE SAFETY & ETIQUETTE VIDEO

On October 13, 2017   /   Whats New  

Original Post found at: NSSF

NSSF Makes New Range Safety and Etiquette Video Available to Industry, Public

NEWTOWN, Conn. — The National Shooting Sports Foundation® (NSSF®), the trade association for the firearms industry, is pleased to announce the release of an all-new “Introduction to Range Safety and Etiquette” video. Designed to provide guidance for firearms use on shooting ranges both indoors and outdoors, the video is available to both industry members and the general public through the Vimeo streaming site and on nssf.org.

The new video replaces an older, dated version on the subject and is set against the backdrop of a brightly lit, modern and well-appointed shooting range. The female moderator articulates the basic rules of gun safety, especially as they apply to use on an indoor firearms range, before covering an array of range etiquette topics such as range officer commands, how to uncase your firearm on the range when you first arrive and what to do if a firearm is accidentally dropped on the range. There are also safety tips specific to handling either semi-automatic handguns or revolvers.

“More than ever, NSSF is focused on helping our industry better engage their customers. Paramount to that is ensuring all shooters have a pleasant and safe experience every time they head to the range for a practice session,” explained Zach Snow, NSSF Director, Shooting Range Services. “This is particularly important for those coming to firearms ownership and the shooting sports for the first time, and this video will go far to making that first time on the range safe and fun for everyone.”

NSSF encourages its range members to download this video now and make it available to their customers, either through a monitor streaming the video or as required viewing for newcomers. Gun clubs and firearms and hunter safety instructors are encouraged to use it in the same manner, and store-front FFLs are urged to include the video as part of their safety curriculums and first-time firearms purchaser education programs. For more information in NSSF’s many firearms safety and shooting programs, visit www.nssf.org.

 

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THE SUCCESS OF SAFE STORAGE PROGRAMS, BY THE NUMBERS

On September 17, 2017   /   Whats New  

Original Post found at: NSSF

By Steve Sanetti

Programs promoting safe firearm storage practices work. There is no other way to explain the fact that with over 380 million firearms in the U.S. today, accidents with firearms have dropped to historical lows.

According to NSSF’s latest Industry Intelligence Report, unintentional firearms fatalities are down 60 percent over the last two decades. Among children, that figure drops by 74 percent, while the population of youth 14 years of age and under increased 4.7 percent.

A recent industry survey of gun owners found that safe storage devices are widely used, with over 80 percent reporting use of a gun safe. Nearly all of those surveyed said that firearm safety is “extremely important” to them.

What firearm secure storage method(s) do you use?

Taking Initiative

The firearms and ammunition industry understands that even with broad adoption of safe storage practices and the voluntary inclusion of a free locking device with new firearms sold since 1998, the need for constant education continues.

That’s why NSSF continues to promote best practices through initiatives such as Project ChildSafe. In addition to the key educational components of Project ChildSafe, through the program more than 37 million gun locks have been distributed – free of charge – to more than 15,000 communities in every state and U.S. territory. It’s no surprise that this program is so indisputably successful that even the Obama Administration’s Justice Department awarded the NSSF a grant to help expand the industry’s efforts.

NSSF and our members are proud to have contributed to declines in firearms accidents and remain committed to further reducing incidents of unauthorized access to firearms.

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Unintentional Firearms Fatalities Fall 17 Percent

On May 31, 2017   /   Whats New  

REPOSTED FROM http://www.nssfblog.com/
March 20, 2017
By nssfnews

Good news on the topic of fatal firearms accidents. The National Safety Council’s “Injury Facts—2017 Edition” shows that the number of fatal firearms accidents dropped 17 percent from 2014 to 2015 to 489, the lowest total since record-keeping began in 1903. That’s about three-tenths of 1 percent of the 146,571 total accidental deaths from all other listed causes, which are up 8 percent from 2014 to 2015. It should be noted that the decrease, which was the largest percentage decline of any category, came in a year that saw record firearms sales to many millions of Americans.

“This latest release from the National Safety Council shows that the vast majority of the 100 million American firearms owners meet the serious responsibilities which come with firearms ownership,” said NSSF President and CEO Steve Sanetti. “They store their firearms safely and securely when not in use, and follow the basic rules of firearms safety when handling them.

“The many firearms safety educational programs sponsored by the firearms industry and firearms safety instructors nationwide, such as the NSSF’s Project ChildSafe, are also part of the reason for this ever-downward trend in firearms accidents,” Sanetti added. “We will continue to work with organizations interested in genuine firearms safety to help reduce the number of firearms accidents even further in the days and years ahead.”

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Safety in Arms

On October 8, 2016   /   Whats New  

Originally published in The Progress News by Erin Golden • 

Originally posted here

Gun ownership is among the biggest topics of this election season, heating up emotions and arguments on all sides of the issue.

But no matter where you stand on the topic, there’s one thing nearly everyone can agree on: It’s crucial to store and secure a gun safely, particularly if children are around.

“The most important responsibility of a gun owner is to keep your gun from falling into the wrong hands,” says Bill Brassard, senior director of communications for the National Shooting Sports Foundation. “There is no excuse for not securing the firearm when it is not in use.”

Brassard’s organization, a firearms industry trade group, runs a safety campaign called Project ChildSafe. He says it’s important for all gun owners—regardless of whether a child is in the home or not—to think about strong safety measures, because theft or misuse by an adult can also be a problem.

LOCK IT UP

Storage options can range from a cable lock, where a cable runs through the barrel of the gun and requires a key to be unlocked and used, to a full-size gun safe. There are also smaller and cheaper gun boxes and gun safes that require a key or code to be opened—and some that are designed for quicker access. Those options can range in price from $10 or $20 to more than $300.

The most expensive—and most secure—option is a full-sized gun safe. Some now come with biometric technology, which allows the safe to only open for specific people based on a fingerprint scan. High-tech safes can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars.

Brassard says people who opt for a lock or portable safe with keys need to be careful about where they store those keys. And the same goes for the guns themselves, which he said should always be secured before they are tucked away.

“Hiding a gun is not safe storage—that doesn’t fit the safe-storage parameters that gun owners should follow,” he says. “Children are curious and they might find a gun in the home that you think is safely hidden.”

TALK TO YOUR KIDS

In addition to keeping guns in a safe, secure location, Brassard said it’s important to talk to kids about what to do if they find a gun—and then remind them, again and again.

For younger children, he says, the message should be never to touch a gun—and to leave the area if they find one. For older kids, there might be a similar lesson, though with more nuance. Brassard says at an older age, children might have more questions about when guns could be used or how they could get involved in hunting education classes.

And, according to Brassard, those talks are important even in households that don’t own or use firearms, because children could come across a gun while in the home of a friend or relative.

“We encourage parents to have that conversation on a regular basis,” he says. “It’s not a one-time conversation.”

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