Study finds most in U.S. don't safely store guns

SANTA ANA, Calif. (FOX 11) - A new study finds a majority of American gun owners do not safely store their weapon, an important topic considering America has the most guns per capita compared to any other country.

The study, published in the American Journal of Public Health, found that 54% of owners reported not storing all of their firearms safely, which increases the risk that they'll be used unintentionally.

Children under the age of 18 were living in about one-third of the homes where guns were present, and owners were 44% more likely to report safely storing their guns if they had a child at home, according to the findings.

The researchers in the study defined safe storage as keeping all guns in a locked gun safe, cabinet or case; locked into a gun rack, or stored with a trigger lock or other lock.