First national Spanish campaign on safe firearm storage targets Latino gun owners

"You can always do more" is the powerful message highlighted in a new public education campaign on safe gun storage, launched for the first time in Spanish to amplify its reach to Latino gun owners, who are among the fastest growing demographic when it comes to purchasing firearms.

"Take the Next Step" or "Da El Siguiente Paso" is the latest campaign in the award-winning End Family Fire program during Gun Violence Awareness Month. It's a joint production of Brady: United Against Gun Violence, Casanova/McCann and the Ad Council.

The effort has to do with the fact that the number of Latino adults who own firearms has doubled since 2017, according to the press release.

Latinos account for 19 percent of the 7.5M new gun owners between 2019-2021, in line with their overall share of the U.S. population. The latest available data shows that over a quarter of Latinos own a firearm, or approximately 14M Hispanic adults, a survey by Georgetown University found.

"With such a dramatic increase in ownership comes an increased need for public education on safe gun storage," the partners behind the campaign said.

Today, about 4.6 million kids in the U.S. live in a home with access to unlocked and loaded guns.

Despite the fact that 70 percent of parents believed that their child could not access firearms in the home, more than 30 percent of children from these households reported being able to do so in less than five minutes, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

As part of the new campaign, DaElSiguientePaso.org also launched a new Spanish-language website featuring in-language videos and resources.

The English language site is endfamilyfire.org.

"When people make the decision to purchase a firearm for the home, they often do so with protection in mind, but protection doesn't necessarily equal safety," said Kris Brown, President of Brady: United Against Gun Violence.

"Safe storage is essential to prevent a means of securing your home from causing an irreversible tragedy. With the number of Hispanic gun owners doubling in recent years, a national Spanish-language campaign is critical to eliminating the barriers Spanish speakers face in accessing safe gun storage education."

How Does Safe Storage Really Make a Difference?

"Storing firearms safely can reduce accidents, suicides, and intentional harm, including school violence incidents, by preventing unauthorized access," the site DaElSiguientePaso.org in Spanish explains.

The website details further research:

1. One in four children has touched a gun in their home without their parents knowing. Storing firearms safely helps prevent their curiosity from turning into tragedy.
2. Access to a gun triples the risk of death by suicide.
3. In 75% of youth suicides involving firearms, the gun was loaded and unsecured. Adding time and distance between a person in crisis and a firearm reduces the risk of suicide.
4. 76% of school attackers under 18 accessed the firearm at the home of a relative or friend. Storing firearms safely can reduce unauthorized access to guns and help keep our children and families safe.