1. The League of Women Voters
Nonpartisan, but political
Established: 1920
1972: Men accepted
Educate & Advocate
Membership open to any citizen 16 and over
Nonpartisan: neither endorse nor oppose candidates or political parties.
But, we are Political: we take positions on issues.
1920: Six months before the 19th Amendment was ratified, the League was organized to provide the education and experience the public needed to assure the success of democracy. Today there are 29 local Leagues in Florida alone.
20% of our members are men
The League encourages informed and active participation in government through two functions:
Educating the public - because we believe the basis of good governance is an educated electorate. (Non-Political)
Advocating for positions on policy issues after careful study and consensus by our members. (Political)
We keep these functions separate. When we educate we do not advocate.

2. LOCK-IT-UP! Safe Gun Storage
Like the Mothers Against Drunk Driving campaign, the Lock-it-up Campaign aims to help everyone promote gun safety in their community
We’re taking a proactive step to start saving lives.
Our Goals:
Educate the public on the danger of unlocked guns
Place brochures
in pediatricians' offices,
schools,
government facilities,
police stations,
with mental health providers, etc.
We partner with the Veterans Administration to provide free gun locks

3. What We’re Going to Cover
Safe Storage Gun Violence Statistics Children and Firearms Suicide Domestic Violence Gun Theft
Today, we’re going to cover:
Safe Storage of firearms
some Gun Violence Statistics
How firearm storage relates to:
Children
Suicides
Domestic Violence
Gun Thefts

4. Safe Storage Saves Lives
Lowers the risk of:
Accidental shootings, esp. children
Domestic violence shootings
Suicides
Homicides
Gun thefts
Locking up firearms lowers the risk of:
Accidental shootings, esp. shootings involving children
Domestic violence shootings
Suicides
Homicides
Gun thefts

5. USA Gun Deaths Nearly 40,000 gun deaths (2018)
Domestic partner killed every 16 hours
U.S.women: 21 times more likely to be killed
Children and teens: 1,700 homicides/yr
In 2018:
almost 40,000 people died from guns; 2/3 were suicides
A woman is shot & killed every 16 hours by an intimate partner in this country
Women in the U.S. are 21 times more likely to be killed by a gun than women in other high-income countries
Each year, 1,700 children and teens are die by gun homicides
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Sources:
Once Every 16 Hours, an American Woman Is Fatally Shot by a Current or Former Romantic Partner. TheTrace.com (2016 February 9). Retrieved from
Gun Violence in America (2019, April 4). Retrieved from

6. Florida Gun Facts Gun stolen every 26 minutes
3rd in nation for gun thefts
Highest rate of road rage with a firearm
Child shot every 17 hours
2nd leading cause of death
Locking up guns would save Florida lives and reduce crime significantly
A gun is stolen every 26 minutes in Florida
Florida is 3rd in nation for gun thefts
Florida has the highest rate of road rage with a firearm in the nation
On average, every 17 hours a child is shot in Florida
Firearm related injuries are the 2nd leading cause of death in Florida and nationwide
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Source:
In Harm’s Way. Tampa Bay Times (2017 February 17). Retrieved from
Study: Florida is No. 1 in road rage incidents involving guns. Retrieved from

7. Leading Causes of Death for Children in the U.S. in 2016
Motor Vehicle - 4,074
Firearms – over 3,000
Pediatric cancer — 1,853
Drownings — 995
Poisoning and drug overdoses — 982
Here are the Leading Causes of Death for Children in the U.S.:
More than 3,000 children and adolescents died from firearms in 2016
Public health campaigns helped reduce kids’ deaths and injuries in vehicle crashes and drowning.
Progress has been made in treating pediatric cancer.
No progress has been made on kids’ deaths from firearms
===============
Source: More than 15% of childhood deaths in America are due to guns, study says
(2018 December 19). Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from:

8. Cause of Death – U.S. Children
Cause of Death Age 5
Cause of Death Age 14
In the United States,
By the time a child is 5, guns are the 2nd-leading cause of death.
By the time a child is 14, he or she is nearly as likely to die from a gunshot wound as in a car crash
For children under the age of 13, gun homicides most frequently occur in the home.
In Florida, a child is shot, on average, every 17 hours
======
Sources:
Tampa Bay Times (2017, February 3). Retrieved from deaths-harms-way/
Gun Violence in America (2019, April 4). Retrieved from
Tampa Bay Times

9. Alabama 2-Year-Old Kills His 1-Year-Old Brother in Accidental Shooting
Alabama 2-Year-Old Kills His 1-Year-Old Brother in Accidental Shooting
Parents and guardians are charged according to circumstances surrounding a shooting when a minor gains access to weapon.
The American Journal of Public Health defines safe storage as keeping all guns in a locked gun safe, cabinet or case; locked into a gun rack, or stored with a trigger lock or other lock.
Three quarters of children under age 10 living in homes with firearms reported knowing the location of their parents’ guns.
==============
Sources:
Frances Baxley & Matthew Miller, “Parental Misperceptions About Children and Firearms,” 160 Archives Of Pediatric & Adolescent Med. (2006): 542, 544. ⤴︎
Newsweek (2018 March 13). Retrieved from

10. Child Access Protection Law
Florida Statute
Firearm must be securely locked …
or in secure location…
Except when person carries gun on their body
Violation of statute is 2nd degree misdemeanor
Laws on firearm storage vary from state to state.
Florida Statute states, in part:
“A person who stores or leaves, on a premise under his or her control, a loaded firearm… and who knows or reasonably should know that a minor is likely to gain access to the firearm without the lawful permission of the minor’s parent or the person having charge of the minor, or without the supervision required by law, shall keep the firearm in a securely locked box or container or in a location which a reasonable person would believe to be secure or shall secure it with a trigger lock, except when the person is carrying the firearm on his or her body or within such close proximity thereto that he or she can retrieve and use it as easily and quickly as if he or she carried it on his or her body.”
Violation of statute is 2nd degree misdemeanor
Unfortunately, the “reasonable person” language in Florida’s statute permits storage of an unlocked firearm.

11. Safe Storage Options Locked gun safe Locked cabinet Locked case
Locked gun rack
Trigger lock
Other gun lock
American Journal of Public Health defines safe storage as keeping all guns in
a locked:
gun safe,
Case or cabinet,
gun rack or,
stored with a trigger lock or other lock
Note that, unlike Florida statute, every option calls for the gun to LOCKED!

12. SUICIDE Critical Issues 20% of drug overdoses lead to death
But, 85-90% of suicide attempts with a firearm end in death
=========
Source:
Guns and Suicide: The Hidden Toll. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Retrieved from

13. Suicide Facts Suicides increase each year in the U.S.
Risk is 10 times greater in U.S.
Twice as many suicides as car accidents
More suicides in states with high gun ownership
The number of suicides increases each year in the U.S.
There are twice as many suicide deaths as car accidents
Access to a firearm increases the risk by 3 times
Risk is 10 times greater in the U.S. than in other high income countries.
More suicides in states with high gun ownership
=================
Sources:
Erin Grinshteyn and David Hemenway, “Violent Death Rates: The US Compared with Other High-income OECD Countries, 2010,” American Journal of Medicine 129, no. 3 (2016): 266–273. 
Firearm Suicide in the United States. (2018 August 30). Retrieved from

14. Means Matter
Suicide - 2nd leading cause of death among year-olds
Adolescent suicide - 4 times more likely in homes with a loaded, unlocked firearm
Suicides are impulsive
Most attempters act in moments of panic or despair.
A study showed that 2/3 of suicide survivors said it was less than 1 hour from the time they first thought about suicide and when they took action.
25% said less than 5 minutes.
Locking up firearms could lower the risk of impulsive suicides.
Only 1 in 10 survivors will try suicide again
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Means Matter. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Retrieved from

15. Means Matter
On average, 20 veterans commit suicide each day with a gun
Suicide rate for elderly Veterans is higher than that of non-veterans of same age.
The rate ticks up even higher for veterans over 85 years old

16. Critical Issues
DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE

17. Presence of a firearm
Increased the risk of a death for a domestic violence victim by as much as
500%
With history of violence and access to a firearm, risk of fatalities is increased
Presence of a firearm in the home where there's violence sends a message to the victims
Presence of a firearm in the home increases the risk of a domestic violence victim being killed by as much as 500 percent.
In 2013, New York enacted a law in that requires a firearm owner to keep his or her firearm locked if he or she lives with a convicted felon, a domestic abuser, or a person with a federally prohibitive mental health history
===============
Source:
Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence and Everytown for Gun Safety. Retrieved from

18. Gun Theft on the Rise
More than 237,000 guns stolen in 2016 Nationwide a gun is stolen every 2 minutes
Most stolen guns are taken from homes and unlocked cars.
Many are use in crimes by people prohibited from possessing guns.
Safe storage of firearms could reduce gun thefts.
========
Source:
Frescos, B. America (2017 November 20). Gun Theft From Legal Owners Is on the Rise, Quietly Fueling Violent Crime Across. Retrieved from

19. Lock It Up! is about saving lives
Educate the public
Distribute brochures
Provide free gun locks
We’re taking a proactive step to start saving lives.
Our Goals:
Educate the public on the danger of unlocked guns
Place brochures
in pediatricians' offices,
schools,
government facilities,
police stations,
with mental health providers, etc.
Partnering with Veterans Administration to provide gun locks
Like MADD’s “don’t drink and drive” campaign, this program aims to change the narrative and make everyone feel responsible for gun safety in their community

20. Because you can’t un-fire a firearm
Lock It Up!
Because you can’t un-fire a firearm

21. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
Thank You
Questions?
Learn more at
And join your local League’s Gun Safety Action Team!
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline