Secure Storage in Vermont
Gun owners in Vermont must store guns securely to prevent unauthorized access by children and teens.
Gun owners in Vermont may be subject to criminal penalties if a child under age 18 (or another prohibited person) gains access to a negligently stored firearm and then uses the firearm in the commission of a crime, displays it in a threatening manner, or uses it to cause death or serious bodily injury in the following circumstances:
- The gun owner failed to store the firearm in a locked container or equipped with a tamper-resistant mechanical lock or other safety device, and
- The gun owner stored the firearm in a location where they knew or should have known that a child under 18 or another prohibited person is likely to gain access to it.
To avoid potential liability under state law, gun owners should store loaded firearms in a locked container or equipped with a tamper-resistant mechanical lock or other safety device to prevent children from gaining unauthorized access to them.
Keeping Your Homes and Vehicles Safe with Secure Storage
If you’ve made the decision to bring a gun into your home, it’s important to know how responsible gun owners work to keep their families safe by mitigating the inherent risks associated with firearm ownership. Every responsible gun owner securely stores their guns so that they are inaccessible to children and other people who are at risk of harming themselves or others. Here’s why:
- More than 700 children die by gun suicide each year, most often using guns belonging to a family member.
- Nearly 360 children under the age of 18 unintentionally shoot themselves or someone else each year.
- At least one-third of youth gun suicides and unintentional deaths could be prevented with increased secure storage.
- More than 200,000 guns are stolen from individuals every year—a significant portion of those are stolen from cars.
Safety is always an adult responsibility. Kids will be kids, so it’s always an adult’s responsibility to keep children safe. Always assume that curious or impulsive kids may find and touch an unsecured gun, even if they’ve been told not to. If a child handles a gun, a bad decision can quickly become a fatal one. Be SMART adults protect kids by making sure all guns are stored securely, which means they are inaccessible to kids, and by making sure children are never in the presence of unsecured guns.
The information provided here is not legal advice and should not be understood as such. Consult with an attorney if you have questions about how this law applies to your specific circumstances.