Temporary Out-of-Home Storage

Access to firearms increases the likelihood that suicide attempts and other forms of violence will be fatal.

Assessing a person in crisis’s access to lethal means, including firearms, is a key part of the clinician’s role in suicide and violence prevention.^1,2 When someone at risk of attempting suicide or perpetrating violence has access to a firearm, voluntary, temporary out-of-home storage of firearms for the duration of the crisis can reduce the risk of harm. Patients and their caregivers can work together with clinicians to decide on appropriate options for storage outside the home during times of elevated risk. If a patient is acutely suicidal or homicidal, further interventions like an involuntary mental health hold or a civil protective order may also be warranted.

Reducing Access to Lethal Means

Lethal means safety, also known as lethal means counseling, has become a standard of care for clinicians who care for suicidal patients.^1,2 The same principle – that access to deadly weapons during a time of crisis increases risk of fatal harm – applies to preventing interpersonal violence. The goal of lethal means safety is to put time and distance between the person in crisis and methods of suicide or assault that are likely to be fatal. Temporary, voluntary storage of firearms outside the home for the duration of the risk is an option for patients or caregivers willing to collaborate with the clinician on safety planning when someone in the home should not have access to a firearm.

There are various options for out-of-home storage of firearms. Some gun dealers, ranges, and law enforcement agencies will store firearms temporarily, though they may charge a fee. Online maps show agencies that provide this option. Transferring firearms to a trusted friend or family member can also be an option if background check laws in the jurisdiction allow for it and if the receiving party has a safe place to store the firearms. Clinicians should familiarize themselves with policies for private party transfer and out-of-home storage options in their state and local area so that they are ready to make informed recommendations when they see a patient at risk.

Transferring Firearms in California

In California, federally licensed firearms dealers (FFLs) are required to temporarily store firearms if the owner or someone in their household is in crisis. Some may charge a fee for this service.³

Transfers to a private party, like a friend or family member, during a crisis are another option. Such transfers are an exception to California’s stringent background check requirements which generally require that most transfers go through a federally licensed firearm dealer. However, California law allows persons over the age of 18 to receive and hold firearms without a background check or a safety certificate, for as long as reasonably necessary, if for the express purpose of preventing self-harm. Such transfers require that the recipient of firearms:

• is not a prohibited person
• store the firearm safely in their own home
• not use the firearm at any point while they are holding onto it⁴

What You Can Do

For someone at elevated risk of harm or someone whose risk may escalate in the future, getting firearms out of the home can be lifesaving. By counseling patients or caregivers about options for temporary, out-of-home storage of guns with a local business or organization or a trusted person, clinicians can help put time and space between the person at risk and lethal means.

Temporary out-of-home storage requires collaboration from the at-risk person or their caregiver, and is intended to last for the duration of the period of heightened risk. Such transfers or storage outside the home do not affect someone’s future ability to have guns. They may be especially useful when safely storing firearms within the home does not necessarily remove access by the person at risk.

If a patient is at acute risk of harming themself or someone else, clinicians may need to take more immediate action to separate them from lethal means. Becoming familiar with local civil commitment laws or psychiatric interventions and options for firearm removal in times of crisis will help clinicians reduce at-risk patients’ access to lethal means.

Page last updated March 2026.

For more information, see these peer-reviewed articles.

Kelly, T., Brandspigel, S., Polzer, E., et al. (2020). Firearm Storage Maps: A Pragmatic Approach to Reduce Firearm Suicide During Times of Risk. Annals of Internal Medicine.

Allchin, A., Chaplin, V., & Horwitz, J. (2018). Limiting access to lethal means: Applying the social ecological model for firearm suicide prevention. Injury Prevention.

McCourt, A. D., & Vernick, J. S. (2018). Law, Ethics, and Conversations between Physicians and Patients about Firearms in the Home. AMA Journal of Ethics.

Barber, C., Frank, E., & Demicco, R. (2017). Reducing Suicides Through Partnerships Between Health Professionals and Gun Owner Groups—Beyond Docs vs Glocks. JAMA Internal Medicine.

McCourt, A. D., Vernick, J. S., Betz, M. E., et al. (2017). Temporary Transfer of Firearms From the Home to Prevent Suicide: Legal Obstacles and Recommendations. JAMA Internal Medicine.