Gun Storage Check Week: Secure It, and Check Its Condition Too
Every September, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) runs Gun Storage Check Week® — September 1–7 this year — asking every firearm owner to take a few minutes and honestly answer one question: is every firearm you own actually secure? The timing is deliberate. September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and the campaign’s central message is direct: suicide is preventable, and secure gun storage can save lives.
We make firearm care products, not safes — so most of this article has nothing to sell you. We’re sharing it because the storage check is worth doing, and because there’s one part of it that is our lane: while the safe is open anyway, check the condition of what’s inside.
What Gun Storage Check Week is
Gun Storage Check Week® is an NSSF campaign under the tagline “Make Sure It’s Secure®.” It runs twice a year — the first week of June and the first week of September — with the September edition aligned to National Suicide Prevention Month. NSSF partners with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) on resources, including a brochure on recognizing warning signs and having what they call a “brave conversation” with someone you’re worried about. Everything is free at GunStorageCheck.org. The campaign and its marks belong to NSSF — we’re not affiliated with it; we just think it’s worth your seven minutes.
The security check
The core of the check is simple: walk through where every firearm you own actually is, right now, and ask whether someone who shouldn’t reach it could. The campaign’s list of storage that does not count as secure is blunt and familiar: the top of the refrigerator, the nightstand drawer, the glove box, “hidden” spots without any lock. If any of yours live in places like that, the fix can be as cheap as a cable lock or a lock box — a full-size safe is the gold standard, but any layer beats none.
| Storage option | Typical cost | Best for | Keep in mind |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cable lock | Free–$15 (often free from Project ChildSafe partners) | Making any firearm inoperable fast; the minimum every gun deserves | Deters access; not theft protection, and the firearm stays visible |
| Lock box | $25–$150 | Handguns; quick-access bedside storage with security | Choose a mounted or tethered box — a loose box can walk away |
| Full-size safe | $300+ | Whole collections; theft, fire and humidity control in one place | Watch interior humidity anyway — a dehumidifier rod or packs help |
| Temporary offsite storage | Varies | Adding real time and distance during a crisis in the home | Use a trusted person, retailer or range, in line with transfer laws |
Why it matters enough for a national week: most firearm deaths in the United States are suicides, and a suicidal crisis is often short. Putting time and distance between a person in crisis and any means of harm — a locked gun, stored ammunition, even temporary offsite storage with a trusted person or retailer where transfer laws allow — creates the pause in which the acute moment can pass and help can arrive. That’s the entire logic, and it’s a strong one.
If there are children in the house, the check doubles as a Project ChildSafe moment: locked, unloaded, ammunition separate. We’ve written before about introducing kids to shooting sports the right way — and the first prerequisite of every youth program is that access runs through an adult, every time.
While the safe is open: the condition check
Here’s the part we can speak to. A storage check is the one time of year you have every firearm out and in your hands — which makes it the perfect time to check what storage does to guns: moisture. Humidity inside safes and cases is the quiet killer of stored firearms; corrosion doesn’t announce itself, it just works.
The routine before anything goes back in: clean first, then oil. Strip old fouling and residue, get the bore and surfaces properly clean, then finish with a protective film of oil on metal. That final film is what stands between steel and humidity for the months the gun sits. It’s the job GNP Defend Gun Oil was tested for: in WITU’s 10,000-round test opinion, firearms stored uncleaned for 14 days at 81–84% humidity showed zero corrosion on protected surfaces. Two weeks is not a year — but a gun that goes into the safe cleaned and oiled is a different animal from one that goes in dirty.
If your guns sit for months at a time, our guide to oiling firearms for long-term storage covers the full routine — how much oil, where, and how often to refresh it.
The seven-minute September checklist
- Locate every firearm you own — all of them, including the one in the vehicle.
- Anything unsecured goes into a safe, lock box, or onto a cable lock today.
- Ammunition stored separately from firearms.
- Before each goes back: clean first, then oil — a light protective film on all metal.
- Check who else knows the combination or key location — and whether they should.
- If someone in your home is going through a hard stretch, consider adding time and distance: extra locks, or temporary offsite storage. And talk to them — 988 exists for exactly that conversation.
Frequently asked questions
When is Gun Storage Check Week in 2026?
NSSF runs Gun Storage Check Week twice in 2026: June 1-7 and September 1-7. The September week is timed to National Suicide Prevention Month.
What counts as secure gun storage?
A locking device that prevents unauthorized access: a full-size safe, a lock box, or a cable lock at minimum, with ammunition stored separately. Hidden but unlocked places like nightstands, closet shelves and glove boxes do not count as secure storage.
What is 988?
988 is the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in the United States. Call or text 988 any time, free, if you or someone you know is struggling. Veterans can press 1 to reach the Veterans Crisis Line.
Is GNP Defend affiliated with Gun Storage Check Week?
No. Gun Storage Check Week and Make Sure It's Secure are NSSF campaigns and registered marks. GNP Defend is sharing the campaign because we believe in the message; the resources live at GunStorageCheck.org.