Trigger Locks & Mandatory
Storage Laws
by Jeremy D. Blanks, Ph.D.
Click your mouse or use Page Down to advance
each stage of this presentation
Doctor's For Sensible Gun Laws http://www.KeepAndBearArms.com/DSGL
Proposals and Positions from Gun
Control Groups and Politicians
• Force the sale of a trigger lock with all firearms
• Require that all current firearm owners purchase a trigger
lock
• Mandatory storage laws that demand a firearm be locked
away and inaccessible regardless of personal situation
• Perform inspections and unwarranted searches of individual
homes to insure that firearms are properly stored
• Concerns over storage laws preventing people from accessing
a firearm for self-defense are irrelevant, since most gun
control supporters and politicians like Bill Clinton and Al
Gore do not believe law-abiding citizens have a right to selfdefense against murderers, rapists, and other violent felons
Doctor's For Sensible Gun Laws http://www.KeepAndBearArms.com/DSGL
A Few Facts About Trigger Locks
and Guns
• Today, essentially all firearms sold have trigger locks with
them - as has been the case for many years
• Responsible storage is already a part of the safety approach
of greater than 99% of gun owners
• Accidents are at an all time low due directly to educational
programs, such as the Eddie Eagle program from the
National Rifle Association
• Even though the number of firearms has quadrupled since
1930, the number of firearm accidents has declined by
62%
Doctor's For Sensible Gun Laws http://www.KeepAndBearArms.com/DSGL
More Facts About Trigger Locks
and Guns
• Firearms are only involved in just over 1 % of
accidental fatalities, whereas motor vehicles are
responsible for 47 %, falls for 15 %, poisons for 10 %,
drowning for 4 %, fire for 3 %, suffocation of an
ingested object for 3 %, and even the category “other”
has a higher level than firearms
• It is dangerous to store a loaded firearm with a trigger lock
on it, since such a lock could cause the firearm to
discharge as has happened numerous times
• Trigger locks can create a false sense of security, due to the
reliance on a lock instead of following established safety
guidelines
Doctor's For Sensible Gun Laws http://www.KeepAndBearArms.com/DSGL
Do Trigger Lock Laws Save Lives?
• There is no evidence which shows that trigger lock laws save lives
• Responsible gun owners already follow established safety
guidelines as shown by the fact that firearm accidents are at an all
time low
• Irresponsible people and criminals will not magically use trigger
locks due to the passage of a law
• To force responsible gun owners to use a trigger lock, even though
they have secured their firearm by other means, will put the
individual at a disadvantage if the firearm is needed and a lock
must be removed prior to use
• Trigger locks and similar devices have failed and in turn caused
accidents and loss of life
Doctor's For Sensible Gun Laws http://www.KeepAndBearArms.com/DSGL
Trigger Lock Comparison to Child
Resistant Safety Caps on Medicine
• Bill Clinton, Al Gore, and many others have compared gun locks to
safety caps on medicine
• Such a comparison is fairly accurate and the results would be
similar
• Research by Harvard’s Prof. Kip Viscusi has shown that child
resistant caps have caused an increase in accidental poisonings
• People have become more careless with their medicines, since they
began to rely on child resistant caps for protection instead of using
their basic common sense
• A similar situation would develop with gun locks
• The fact is that no cap is truly resistant - they can all be defeated
• The same can be said for trigger locks
Doctor's For Sensible Gun Laws http://www.KeepAndBearArms.com/DSGL
What Would Be the Results of a
Mandatory Storage Law?
• Compliance with storage laws is not likely since inherently
irresponsible people will not obey such a law
• Enforcement of storage laws would lead to abuses of civil liberties
• Unwarranted searches of individual homes would be required to
confirm compliance with storage laws
• A “one size fits all” law cannot possibly meet the needs or properly
address the situations of all gun owners - people would be put at risk
• Such mandatory storage laws would handicap a person who needs a
gun for self-defense against a murderer, rapist, or other violent felon
• Today, millions of crimes are prevented every year by law-abiding
citizens - mandatory storage laws would hinder self-defense and cost
lives
• Such laws have been called “criminal protection acts,” which is an
accurate description
Doctor's For Sensible Gun Laws http://www.KeepAndBearArms.com/DSGL
How Have Mandatory Storage Laws Affected
Crime and Accidents in Other Countries?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Canada enacted such laws several years ago
Canada now has a burglary rate significantly higher than that of the United
States
Canadian burglars are three times more likely than U.S. burglars to break into
a home while it is occupied
Accident rates in Canada actually went up following the enactment of such
laws
England enacted “safe storage” laws in the 1930s
Not only does England have a higher burglary rate than the U.S. and has so for
decades, but their home invasion rate is also much higher than that of the U.S.
In the U.S., burglars almost always avoid occupied homes due directly to their
concern over armed law-abiding citizens
The low home invasion rate for the U.S. is significant, since many such
instances also lead to rape, assault, and murder
Doctor's For Sensible Gun Laws http://www.KeepAndBearArms.com/DSGL
What Were the Results of Mandatory Storage
Laws on Civil Liberties in England?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
In 1936, the British police added a requirement to their firearms licenses
related to “safe storage”
Initially, this was a minor point and was designed to discourage
irresponsible people from carelessly storing a firearm
However, as is the case with gun control laws in general, such measures
were gradually tightened with their goals being changed with time
Today, self-defense is no longer accepted as a sufficient reason for owning
a firearm - and thus the severity of the storage laws have been greatly
increased
Generally, the police in England will not issue a permit for a shotgun or
hunting rifle without first conducting an unwarranted in-home inspection
In most areas, gun safes are no longer sufficient storage mechanisms
In the end, such mandatory storage laws have been used to further harass,
discourage, and prevent law-abiding citizens for owning any type of
firearm
Doctor's For Sensible Gun Laws http://www.KeepAndBearArms.com/DSGL
How Should Guns Be Stored?
•
•
•
•
•
•
The answer to this simple question is very complex and dependent on
individual situations
For example, a family with small children living in a crime plagued area may
prefer alternative methods to trigger locks, such as quick access safes, since
they may need ready access to a firearm for self-defense
On the other hand, a family with small children living in an area with little if
any crime, may prefer to use a safe for their firearms
In all cases, the parents have a responsibility to insure that a firearm does not
fall into the hands of a child, but there are many ways of accomplishing this
goal and there are no “one size fits all” solutions
The best approach is to allow parents, not members of Congress or some
uninformed gun control group, to decide what is best for their families
Educational programs, such as those offered by the NRA and other gun safety
groups, are key to this issue through providing information on the available
choices for safe storage and general gun safety
Doctor's For Sensible Gun Laws http://www.KeepAndBearArms.com/DSGL
Are There Alternatives to Trigger
Lock Laws?
• Education, education, and education!
• Educational programs have consistently shown that they have and will
prevent accidents involving firearms - this is especially true for
children as is evident by the current all time low accident rate
• One study after another has shown that children who are educated
about firearms early in their lives and taught to respect them are not
prone to be involved in firearm accidents or violence
• One way the government can play a positive role in this matter is to
offer tax breaks and incentives for the purchase of storage items - a
significant expense for low income families
• The most important point about firearm safety is common sense and
following safety guidelines - there is no law that will increase
common sense in inherently irresponsible people
Doctor's For Sensible Gun Laws http://www.KeepAndBearArms.com/DSGL
Conclusions
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Trigger locks are easily defeated and they will lead to a false sense of security
that will cause more accidents
Such laws will be impossible to impose without using unwarranted searches of
individual homes to insure compliance
Trigger lock and mandatory storage laws will lead to more crime, since the
criminal’s fear of an armed citizen will be reduced
Mandatory storage laws are more accurately termed “criminal protection acts,”
due to the disadvantages placed on law-abiding citizens who may need a
firearm for self-defense against a home intruder, rapist, murderer, etc.
Trigger locks will not prevent theft, since such devices are easily removed
with simple tools
Education is the proven answer to lowering accidents as is evident by the all
time low levels we are currently enjoying
Trigger locks and mandatory storage laws cannot impose common sense on
the inherently irresponsible people
Doctor's For Sensible Gun Laws http://www.KeepAndBearArms.com/DSGL
References and Suggested Reading
• Kopel, D. & Volokh, E. “What Kids Don’t Know Can Kill Them,” The
Cato Institute, May 27, 1999.
http://www.guncite.com/gun_control_rrtrigger.html
• Sherman, R. D. “Trigger Locks Are Dangerous,” The Harford
Courant, September 12, 1998.
• Tavares, C. D. “Trigger Locks and Airbags,” Middlesex News, July 19,
1998.
http://www.goal.org/articles/cdttriggerlocks.html
Doctor's For Sensible Gun Laws http://www.KeepAndBearArms.com/DSGL