Out-of-home storage
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Overview
Firearm owners may choose to temporarily store firearms away from their homes for many reasons, like a long trip, military deployment, renting their home, or having family members or visitors who should not have access to firearms. Storage needs and preferences can change over time.
Temporarily storing firearms outside the home is more common than people might think. In 2021, a study found that more than 1 in 4 (27%) Colorado and Washington adults living in a home with a firearm reported they had stored a firearm away from their home, car, or garage within the last five years.
Out-of-home storage can save lives and is especially important when someone in a household is in crisis. Temporarily removing household firearms can create the necessary time and space between an individual in crisis and a firearm, while also giving them time to access care and support. However, in 2023, only 1 in 4 adult firearm owners in Colorado had a plan to temporarily store their firearm(s) outside the home if someone in their house became a threat to themselves or others.
Local options for out-of-home storage may be different depending on your location. Law enforcement agencies and firearm ranges and retailers may offer firearm storage options, but they are not required to. In 2023, more than 1,800 firearm businesses in the United States provided options for temporary out-of-home firearm storage. Temporary, voluntary out-of-home firearm storage is different from having a court order to remove firearms because of a risk to someone’s safety, which is called an Extreme Risk Protection Order.
How to promote secure out-of-home firearm storage
- The Colorado Firearm Safety Coalition has a map of all firearm businesses that provide on-site storage services, as well as guidance on what to consider when searching for local options.
- The Pause to Protect program also has a national map of businesses that provide storage solutions to you and your family.
- Colorado law (C.R.S. §18-12-112) allows firearm owners to temporarily give firearms to family members for up to 72 hours, as long as the person accepting the firearms is legally allowed to have firearms (i.e., has passed a background check). The person transferring the firearms may be liable if the person temporarily holding them uses the firearm(s) unlawfully.
- Reach out to your local firearm business to understand their services. The rules for out-of-home firearm storage at a firearm business can be different based on the services offered by each business, such as how much it costs, how long the firearm(s) can be stored, and how they are returned. Some places may require a background check before storing firearms, while others do not.
- Groups that connect with people who own or access firearms, such as the Let’s Talk Guns Colorado campaign or the Colorado Firearm Safety Coalition, often share helpful information to encourage temporary out-of-home storage in times of crisis.
- It is okay to directly ask if family or friends are thinking about suicide, and it is also okay to ask about their firearms and how they are storing them during times of crisis. You can watch a video on “How to Talk About Guns and Suicide” or use resources from the Overwatch Project or from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs that focus on veteran suicide prevention and encourage loved ones and friends to ask the right question at a critical moment and to talk about their plan for their firearms if in crisis.
- For more information, refer to the firearm business partnerships webpage.
Evidence supporting out-of-home firearm storage
Temporarily storing firearms out of the home can lower the risk of firearm-related harms, particularly when someone is at risk of suicide. People in crisis, such as those dealing with mental health conditions, life problems, domestic violence, or substance use, can experience sudden thoughts of suicide. About 25% of young people aged 15–34 attempt suicide less than five minutes after deciding to do so. If the person does not have access to a firearm during this time, they are more likely to survive as firearms are the most lethal method of suicide, with about 90% of firearm suicide attempts ending in death.
- Barber, C. W., & Miller, M. J. (2014). Reducing a suicidal person's access to lethal means of suicide: a research agenda. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 47(3 Suppl 2), S264–S272. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2014.05.028
- Barnard, L. M., Johnson, R. L., Brandspigel, S., Rooney, L. A., McCarthy, M., Rivara, F. P., Rowhani-Rahbar, A., Knoepke, C. E., Peterson, R. A., & Betz, M. E. (2023). Practices, knowledge, and concerns for out-of-home firearm storage among those with access to firearms: results from a survey in two states. Injury Epidemiology, 10(1), 15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40621-023-00426-9
- COFIPS (Colorado Firearm Injury Prevention Survey). (2023). Preliminary Analysis. Retrieved February 22, 2025, from https://rpubs.com/klittle/COFIPS_prelim4
- Conner, A., Azrael, D., & Miller, M. (2019). Suicide case-fatality rates in the United States, 2007 to 2014: A nationwide population-based study. Annals of Internal Medicine, 171(12), 885–895. https://doi.org/10.7326/M19-1324
- 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. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19026258/