Officials, experts stress safe firearm storage to protect children
Shay Lawson
INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – As some concerns over youth access to guns grow, the Indio Police Department (IPD) and some firearm sellers are stressing the importance of proper storage and responsibility.
From 2013 to 2023, nearly 21,000 children ages 17 and younger died by firearm according to Kaiser Family Foundation a nonprofit organization that serves as a leading source for health policy research.
Indio Officer Felipe Escalante said unsecured guns in the home can be dangerous to children.
“Something that parents could do is properly secure their firearms either by purchasing a gun safe or a gun case that has a lock,” Escalante said.
In California, it is a crime to leave any firearm, loaded or unloaded, where a child under 18 is likely to gain access to it without permission.
Kent Miller, Golden State Armory owner, said any handgun purchased in the state of California is required to come with the California approved either locking box or a cable lock.
“Anybody who leaves the store with a handgun or a rifle, for that matter, is going to know what the legal requirement of storage is,” Miller said. “And how to do that properly and what devices are legal to do that.”
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