Firearm Safety

There have been multiple changes to the Arms Act 1983 in Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) which have subsequently been associated with reductions in firearm-related suicide. In response to the worst mass shooting in NZ’s history, stricter regulations on firearm ownership were introduced in 2020.

This study examines whether Child Access Prevention (CAP) laws are associated with safer firearm storage practices in the United States. Analysing survey data from over 2,200 firearm owners, researchers found that while CAP laws in general were not consistently linked to safer storage, the most stringent laws were associated with lower rates of storing firearms loaded and unlocked, even after adjusting for other factors. The findings also show that the impact of these laws varies depending on community context, with stronger associations seen in less socially vulnerable counties