Philadelphia— May 19, 2026. A new study published last week in the Open Journal of American Medical Association found that 6.7 million children in the United States live in homes where at least one firearm is loaded and unlocked and that this problem has worsened over the past 10 years. Adam Garber, CEO of CeaseFirePA, responded to the findings:
“There is no acceptable number of children who should be at risk of accessing firearms. Not 7 million. Not 7 thousand. Not one. This study is a stark reminder that too many children are unsafe in their homes. And that number is growing. Pennsylvania has the tools to protect our children. Safe storage laws work, the evidence is clear, and the only thing standing between our children and increased safety is political will.”
The study found that:
- The number of children exposed to loaded, unlocked guns has grown by 48.89% to 6.7 million
- 1 in 5 gun-owning parents store at least one firearm both loaded and unlocked
- Teenagers face disproportionate risk. Parents with only teenage children were significantly more likely to store firearms unsafely, despite adolescents being far more likely than younger children to die by firearm suicide or access them for community violence
The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended for years that locking and unloading all household firearms will meaningfully reduce the risk of firearm suicide and unintentional injury in children.
CeaseFirePA calls on our elected leaders to enact common-sense safe storage laws, which are supported by a majority of Pennsylvanians.
