"But if it is not directly in your control, then no one should be able to get to it," she said. “Most reasonable people see the value of this ordinance."

There's no evidence to indicate safe-storage laws impact a gun owner's ability to use their gun at home, she said.

Gailey said she's been contacted by parents who share custody of children, and the other parent won't properly secure a gun. “They want to know what they can do. They don’t want to send an 8-year-old to the ex when there is an unlocked firearm in the house."

She also has been contacted by people caring for aging parents with guns in the home, she said. The parent might have no business owning a firearm, but unless the person is declared mentally incompetent, there's no way to keep them away from firearms.

A safe-storage ordinance would allow the adult child to tell the parent, “you have to keep that gun locked up.”

The coalition doesn’t have specific language, but hopes the council will pass an ordinance requiring people to lock guns in a container designed for that purpose, in such a way that other people cannot access it, Gailey said.