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Michigan Secure Firearm Storage Guide for Families & Caregivers of School-Aged Children

Date:

October 21, 2025

Topics

Comprehensive School Safety Plans, Campus Security

Crisis Timeline

Prevention Planning

Audience

School Personnel, Parents & Families, Michigan Schools

White paper cut-outs of a house and a family with keys on top.
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About This Guide

Every family wants their children to grow up safe, healthy, and protected. One of the most effective ways to prevent tragedy is by securely storing firearms. Secure storage not only protects children at home; it also strengthens school safety and helps build safer communities across Michigan. This practical, easy-to-use guide is designed to help families learn how they can prevent unauthorized access to firearms

Related Resource:

This guide is part of a larger toolkit designed to help Michigan schools educate their communities about secure firearm storage. The School Communication Toolkit for Secure Firearm Storage includes ready-to-use guides, scripts, and content to support school staff in promoting safety, preventing youth harm, and strengthening community well-being.

Inside the Guide

  • Understand what secure firearm storage means and how it saves lives.
  • Reduce risks of unintentional harm by preventing accidents that can cause injury or death.
  • Prevent intentional harm by limiting access to firearms, helping keep schools safer.
  • Support suicide prevention by protecting vulnerable children and teens during moments of crisis.
  • Explore secure storage options such as locks and safes, with practical examples for different households.
  • Start important conversations with relatives, friends, and caregivers to ensure that every place a child spends time is safe.
  • Access resources and tools that make secure firearm storage easier to practice over time.

Contributors

  • Cynthia Ewell Foster, PhD (Director of Community Engagement Core, Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention)
  • Miles Haney (Training Coordinator, Michigan School Safety Initiative)
  • L. Esther Hibbs, MPH (Research Assistant, Michigan School Safety Initiative)
  • Michael Holtz, MPhil (Policy Core Project Manager, Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention)
  • Cassandra Johnson, MAT (School Safety Outreach Specialist, Michigan School Safety Initiative)
  • Brent Miller, MA, PMP (Training Manager, National Center for School Safety)
  • Stephen Oliphant, PhD (Research Fellow, Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention)
  • Julia Plawker, MPH/MSW Candidate (Research Assistant, Michigan School Safety Initiative)
  • Jessica Roche, MPH (Managing Director, Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention)
  • Carolyn Seiger, MA (Instructional Designer, National Center for School Safety)
  • Cindi Thronson, MPH (Project Manager, Michigan School Safety Initiative)

References

  1. Grossman, D. C. (2005). Gun Storage Practices and Risk of Youth Suicide and Unintentional Firearm Injuries. JAMA, 293(6), 707. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.293.6.707
  2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. National Vital Statistics System. (2024). Underlying Cause of Death, Injury Mechanism & All Other Leading Causes, 2022. Ages 1–19 [Dataset]. http://wonder.cdc.gov/ucd-icd10-expanded. html Retrieved September 25, 2024, from http://wonder.cdc.gov/ucd-icd10-expanded.html
  3. Azrael, D., Cohen, J., Salhi, C., & Miller, M. (2018). Firearm Storage in Gun-Owning Households with Children: Results of a 2015 National Survey. Journal of Urban Health: Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine, 95(3), 295–304. https://doi.org/10.1007/ s11524-018-0261-7
  4. Baxley, F., & Miller, M. (2006). Parental Misperceptions About Children and Firearms. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 160(5), 542. https://doi.org/10.1001/ archpedi.160.5.542
  5. Naureckas, S. M. (1995). Children’s and Women’s Ability to Fire Handguns. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 149(12), 1318. https://doi.org/10.1001/ archpedi.1995.02170250024003
  6. Wilson, R. F., Mintz, S., Blair, J. M., Betz, C. J., Collier, A., & Fowler, K. A. (2023). Unintentional Firearm Injury Deaths Among Children and Adolescents Aged 0–17 Years—National Violent Death Reporting System, United States, 2003–2021. MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 72(50), 1338–1345. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7250a1
  7. Barber, C., Azrael, D., Miller, M., & Hemenway, D. (2022). Who owned the gun in firearm suicides of men, women, and youth in five US states? Preventive Medicine, 164, 107066. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2022.107066
  8. Klein, B. R., Trowbridge, J., Schnell, C., & Lewis, K. (2024). Characteristics and Obtainment Methods of Firearms Used in Adolescent School Shootings. JAMA Pediatrics, 178(1), 73. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2023.5093
  9. American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. (n.d.). Suicide Statistics [Dataset]. https:// afsp.org/suicide-statistics/ Retrieved September 25, 2024, from https://afsp.org/suicidestatistics/
  10. Deisenhammer, E. A., Ing, C.-M., Strauss, R., Kemmler, G., Hinterhuber, H., & Weiss, E. M. (2009). The duration of the suicidal process: How much time is left for intervention between consideration and accomplishment of a suicide attempt? The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 70(1), 19–24.
  11. Cai, Z., Junus, A., Chang, Q., & Yip, P. S. F. (2022). The lethality of suicide methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders, 300, 121–129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.12.054

Recommended Citation

Michigan School Safety Initiative (2025). Michigan Secure Firearm Storage Guide for Families & Caregivers of School-Age Children. National Center for School Safety, University of Michigan.