I’m writing in support of HB 203, a bill which will save lives, including the lives of children. HB 203 is a sensible secure firearm storage bill. This is not about taking your guns away. It’s about making sure kids and volatile adults don’t get ahold of loaded firearms. Alaska has one of the highest rates of gun deaths in the country, the highest rate of gun suicide among young people. Last year 174 people died by guns in Alaska and 116 of those were deaths by suicide. An additional 332 Alaskans were wounded by guns in 2021. Nearly 50% of high school students in a recent risk behavior survey said they had access to a loaded gun. Research demonstrates that secure storage laws can help prevent unintentional shootings and gun suicides, particularly among youth. Alaska currently has no requirement for gun owners to secure their firearms unloaded when they are not in use. How many more people have to die? This is a public health crisis all over America and especially acute in Alaska. Many gun owners store their weapons properly — but more than half do not lock all of their guns let alone store them unloaded, locked, and separate from ammunition as experts recommend. Please Support HB 203 in any way you can, so people can just live their lives.
Dr. Emily Kane,
Juneau
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