Access denied: Reducing pediatric firearm mortality with smart gun technology

Abstract

In 2020, firearm-related injuries became the leading cause of death in American children. Ensuring the safe storage of household firearms is one way to reduce those deaths. Since the 1990s, states have sought to accomplish that goal through child access prevention (CAP) laws, which sanction gun owners for unsafe firearm storage. However, recent survey data suggests that these laws are not effective, as they suffer from low compliance. To compensate for these shortcomings, legislators should repeal CAP laws and devise legislation requiring gun owners residing with children to retrofit their household firearms with smart gun technology.