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Why Broward League gun safety team focuses on safe storage

Published on 6/6/2026

Since 2020, firearms have been the leading cause of death among children and teens, and a new study has found that 7 million children in the United States live in households where guns are stored unlocked and loaded. The study was published in JAMA Network Open.

Safe storage reduces accidental deaths of children who find guns in their home and can help prevent teen suicides, the researchers contend.

"When children take their own lives purposefully, in a suicide, the gun almost always comes from their home," says Dr. Matthew Miller, who is the lead author of the study published Tuesday. "It's usually owned by a parent, and clearly, the children gain access to those guns."

Studies show that safe storage of firearms can prevent these suicide deaths. "When guns are locked up, it reduces the risk of dying by suicide, by firearm suicide in particular, by threefold," says Miller.

For the Broward League of Women Voters Gun Violence Prevention Committee, safe storage has been the main priority for almost 10 years.

In September 2017, the Broward League partnered with the Miami VA Suicide Prevention Team to create Lock it Up!, an educational program to protect children, prevent suicide, and reduce crime through education about safe storage and distribution of free gun locks.

To date, we have distributed 47,000 locks, 100,000 pieces of educational material and spoken to over 10,000 people about gun safety. We have 300 community partners; 30 percent of them are preschools.

The Broward League program is being replicated in other leagues, including Monroe, Palm Beach, Pinellas, Polk, Collier and Alachua.

“We know we're having an impact and saving lives,” says Gun Safety Co-Chair Barbara Markley. “ Our volunteers are amazing and I couldn't be prouder of the work we've done.”

“You can join in our mission to save lives,” Markley said. You can volunteer for the committee on the website and we'll email you volunteer opportunities, such as tabling at events, delivering materials, and making calls.

Learn more about the study on safe storage from this article in NPR.

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