Child access prevention (CAP) laws are meant to protect children from accessing firearms by holding a parent or guardian responsible for the actions or potential actions a child takes with a firearm, and they are only on the books in half of the U.S.
The study, conducted by Boston Children’s Hospital, looks at firearm fatalities in children under 15 in states with varying levels of child access prevention laws – from those with the most restrictive laws in comparison to states with no restrictions at all.
There are many types of CAP laws ranging from simple recklessness laws to varying levels of negligence laws. With these laws, the gun owner, parent or guardian is subject to legal consequences should a child be provided with, use, gain access, or even possibly access a firearm.
