Firearms Can Be Found In Third Of Households Survey Shows That Millions Of Weapons Unlocked, Loaded

Firearms can be found in over one-third of American households - millions of them loaded and unlocked - according to a government-sponsored study released Monday.

More than half the gun owners - 54 percent - said their firearms were unlocked, and one-fifth of the owners said they had an unlocked, loaded gun in the home, according to the study, based on a 1994 telephone survey of 2,568 adults. It showed that 44 million Americans own 192 million guns.

The findings prompted this warning from Attorney General Janet Reno: “A locked gun can avoid a family tragedy.”

Given that hundreds of children have died in accidental shooting deaths over the past few years, the Justice Department is pressing Congress to pass a law requiring that a child safety lock be sold with every firearm.

The true number of unlocked, loaded guns in homes is probably even higher than the survey found, said Jens Ludwig of Georgetown University, a co-author of the study.

“We know that there’s a tendency for survey respondents to try to make themselves look good to interviewers,” he said.

Meanwhile, millions of people are walking or driving around with guns at the ready, the study found.

Some 7.5 percent of all American adults - more than 14 million - carried a gun with them or in their car at least once in 1994, Ludwig said, adding that he found this number to be surprisingly high. Excluding those who had a gun for work, it was 5.5 percent of American adults, or just over 10 million, he said.

Of the 192 million firearms in private hands, 65 million were handguns, 127 million long guns.

Of survey respondents who said they owned at least one firearm, 46 percent said they got it to defend themselves against criminals, while no one admitted keeping a gun for illegal purposes.

The finding that 35 percent of homes have guns is actually down from other studies. In the late 1950s, studies found guns were in about half of all households.