Safe Storage of Home Firearms: The Who,What,and to Whom of Persuasion

Abstract

Most American firearm-related deaths are deaths by suicide: ∼ 27,000 deaths in 2023 alone. Storing one's home firearms in a safe and secure manner - unloaded, locked up, and with ammunition stored separately - has the potential to interrupt potential suicide attempts and thereby save lives. And yet, the majority of American firearm owners, even those who think of storage as a vital part of what it means to be a responsible firearm owner, choose not to store all their guns in a safe or secure manner. How can communicators persuade owners to change their behavior? Drawing on foundational work in the psychology of persuasion, we review the existing literature, focusing on who is doing the communication, what is being communicated, and to whom these messages are directed. Gun owners are not monolithic, and so understanding who a given audience finds credible, trustworthy, and caring; and what messages that audience finds compelling (especially if the message can be aligned with valued identities) is vital for any attempt to persuade owners to take action.