The new Safe Firearm Storage Ordinance in Santa Barbara was spearheaded by local teens like high schooler Amelia Vander May who want to feel safer in their community.
"When we're sitting in class at school, we all have places that we know we would hide if there were to be a school shooter on campus. We have neighbors or family or friends who have been victims of gun violence, who have had children who have accidentally injured or killed themselves because there was an unsecured gun in the house," Vander May explained.
According to the Santa Barbara Youth Council, the safe storage of guns could reduce gun-related deaths by 32%. That's a goal the group Moms Demand Action shares.
"How do we make Santa Barbara the safest place for our children and other people's children," said Kendall Pata of Moms Demand Action.
Jenny Schatzle, another member of Moms Demand Action, says it starts with a question.
"Every time your child goes on a playdate, do you ask, 'do you have a gun and is it safely stored?' This question can be uncomfortable or awkward, but it can save lives," she said.
Schatzle says other parents have responded positively to this question and that responsible gun owners are proud of safely storing their firearms, like fellow parent and gun owner Christian Garner.
"It takes a lot of courage to ask and to be upfront with people, kind of dig into their privacy a bit, but it's very important," Garner said.
The Santa Barbara ordinance follows current California law requiring guns and ammunition to be stored separately and firearms to be stored unloaded in a locked container or with a California-approved firearms safety device, such as a trigger lock or cable lock. The ordinance adds that these rules be followed in the home or a vehicle. You can purchase approved safes and locks online.
