As discussions surrounding gun safety, community security, and the role of police chiefs and sheriffs continue, one point is clear—the right to carry comes with an even more important duty to secure. The issue of unsecured firearms affects all communities, leading to increases in gun thefts, violent crime, suicides, accidental shootings—often by children—and community violence. As a result, many states have implemented or rewritten laws that hold the lawful gun owners criminally responsible for failing to secure firearms. In fact, some violators may lose their gun licenses altogether.

This complicated and often contentious conversation is one that police leaders need to embrace to be part of educating the public. In the past few years, over 75 percent of homicides in the United States were committed with firearms, the highest rate since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) began tracking such data in 1968. Effective leadership on the right to carry and the duty to secure can mitigate the risks associated with gun ownership and usage, increasing safety in communities. Police leaders have the opportunity to influence community education and empower gun owners to be ambassadors for safe gun ownership.

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