LINCOLN, Neb. (KMTV) — A group of Nebraska mothers met with lawmakers in Lincoln Friday to raise awareness about how safe gun storage can prevent accidental deaths, suicides, and theft.
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Nebraska does not currently have a law requiring unattended firearms to be stored in a certain way.
"We’re a second amendment country. We are a gun owning state. But, if you are a responsible gun owner you should be keeping your guns secure," Volunteer Jen Fox said to the members of Moms Demand Action as they gathered at the Capitol.
According to a Johns Hopkins University study, guns were the third leading cause of death for people under the age of 18 over a four-year period. Firearms are also used in more than 50% of suicides in Nebraska.
"Guns are stolen out of cars every nine minutes," Amanda Feser said while talking to Sen. Jane Raybould in the Capitol rotunda.
Omaha Sen. Merv Riepe says he thinks more education is needed for gun owners.
"We just have to do probably more education. There’s so much stuff that you can legislate, but you can’t legislate everything," he said. "...and we need more understanding because it’s too late when it happens to someone that you love and someone in your family."
I asked Fox about people living in rural areas who are worried about home protection because 911 response times can be longer.
"There’s plenty of ways you can have access to your gun and also keep it secure, " she said.
The group told me that today was simply about raising awareness with lawmakers and — they hope — making neighbors safer for all.
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