Bauer celebrates passage of safe storage language

State Rep. Maureen Bauer (D-South Bend) is celebrating the passage of safe storage language advocated for by Students Demand Action. The language was included in House Bill 1177, a bill that is likely to head to the governor's desk soon after a conference committee report for it passed out of the House. Bauer authored a bill this session with the same language in it.

Once in effect on July 1 of this year, the Indiana Department of Education must identify and develop a set of best practice and educational materials regarding recommendations for the safe possession and storage of a firearm in a home with a child. This will include information about firearm access, firearm handling, firearm storage, ammunition access and ammunition storage. These educational materials will be distributed annually to all parents of students enrolled at public, charter and state accredited non-public schools. IDOE must also develop and maintain a public website that contains these materials in them.  

“I am proud that we were able to incorporate this firearm safety language into a bill that's now headed to the governor's desk,” Bauer said. “We have had too many children injured or killed because their parents did not follow standard safe storage protocol for their firearms. In our country, 4.6 million children live in a home with at least one unlocked and loaded firearm. My hope is that these educational materials encourage parents to reconsider how they store firearms at home – it could prevent a senseless tragedy.”