5 Myths About Gun Safety

Many people's ideas about lowering rates of injury and death from firearms are actually off target. Arm yourself with knowledge

- KATE ROCKWOOD

MYTH #1

You're better off if you have a gun at home to protect yourself.

MYTHBUSTER Having a gun in the house steeply raises the risk of murders, suicides, and unintentional shootings, says Cassandra Crifasi, Ph.D., co-director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions. "People kind of presume violence will be caused by a stranger versus the reality that it's much more likely to be caused by someone they know," she says. A study of 17.6 million people found that living with someone who owns a gun more than doubles your risk of being murdered; women who live with an abusive gun-owning partner face five times the risk. Kids face particular danger: Between 2015 and 2020, more than 2,000 children shot themselves or someone else, and about 90% of youth gun suicides involve a gun from their home or that of a relative. To reduce these risks, guns should be kept unloaded and locked in a safe, separate from ammunition.

MYTH #2

Localities with more guns have less violence.