A new study found that gun owners who search online for firearms storage tips might not be getting the best advice.
Only 2.3 percent of websites with information on firearms storage contained all the practices "shown to protect children and adolescents living in homes with gun," according to the study, led by Katherine Freundlich of the University of Michigan Medical School.
The researchers examined 87 webpages found by googling the 10 most common search terms related to gun storage. Most of the websites were not easy to use or read, the study found. The sites also listed on average less than one of the four safety tips recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics:
1. Keep guns unloaded.
2. Lock guns away.
3. Store ammunition separately from guns.
4. Lock ammunition.
Overall, only two of the websites listed all four of the safety measures.
"People who are considering turning to the Internet for guidance on home gun storage should be aware that the information they find is unlikely to give them all the advice they need," Freundlich said in a statement.
The study will be presented Sunday in Washington at the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference & Exhibition.
