Gun safety groups are concerned about an increase in unintentional child shootings with more children at home due to school closures and stay-at-home orders.

Numerous Arizona gun stores have reported a massive increase in the purchase of firearms and ammo during the coronavirus pandemic. Many purchases are by first-time gun buyers.

But activists question whether gun owners are following safety guidelines and properly storing their guns to eliminate the risk of children finding them and accidentally injuring themselves or someone else.

'Our purpose is to teach adults how to prevent unintentional child shootings'

Kathleen Noble, who helped start the non-partisan Be SMART for Kids Arizona, which is aimed at promoting gun safety to parents, said teaching parents about gun safety is critical, as hundreds of kids die each year in the United States from finding a gun.

The group has noticed a recent trend in shootings across the Valley that may have happened due to children or teens having access to guns in a home.

On March 24, a 3-year-old boy in Glendale was hospitalized after accidentally shooting himself with his parents' handgun.

That same month, police arrested a 16-year-old boy in connection with the shooting of 14-year-old Darric Appleton in Laveen. He was the oldest of six children in the home at the time.

Noble said usually this time of year is busy for the group doing events to promote gun safety, but they are unable to do that right now.

"It's really hard. We don't know when we can get out there again," she said.

Instead, they're trying to get the message out virtually now since they cannot do their normal tabling or events. The organization has resorted to using social media to post educational graphics on keeping firearms safe and locked away from children.

With people panic buying guns, it is important people make sure they are locking their guns and storing them safely away from children.

"Right now is such an important time for people to remind themselves about gun safety," Noble said.

Firearms at home can escalate a situation

In addition to children accidentally shooting themselves, there is also a higher risk of domestic violence and suicide calls while stuck in quarantine.

"With firearms in houses where there is a whole lot of other stresses going on can really make having to stay at home a much more dangerous situation," Geraldine Hills, president of Arizona For Gun Safety, said.

Stressors like finances, work, health or just being in close proximity to another person can escalate tensions. This can lead to an increase in suicide calls or domestic violence calls, she said.

Buckeye police arrested John Elwyn Smith after he allegedly shot and killed his wife while she was sleeping on April 9, police said. According to court documents, "Smith was feeling stressed about not being able to leave his house during COVID-19." He believed the only way to get out of the situation was to kill his wife.

Firearm training centers seeing increase in first-time owners taking basic shooting classes

Virgil Bland, owner of Arizona Home Defense, said he's noticed a lot of traffic carryover from Valley gun stores who are selling firearms to first-time owners.

"We have been running a lot of basic handgun classes. These teach someone how to responsibly own and deploy a handgun," Bland said.

The facility is now seeing about 1 or 2 classes a day, which is an increase from its typical days. The company has been receiving a lot of phone calls from people who are new to owning guns and want to take a lesson.

"People aren't stupid and they know that if they've never been into guns or around guns that there's no excuse these days to have proper training," Bland said.

With this in mind, multiple police departments have taken to social media to encourage new and experienced gun owners to prioritize gun safety.

A recent video from the Tempe Police Department targeted firearm safety with kids being home from school. Officer Kyle Schmidt, a firearm instructor, encouraged parents to take extra precautions during this time.

"The dynamic we are going through is odd, it is different than our normal schedule," Schmidt said in the video.

He said parents should consider making firearms inaccessible, unable to be fired or both. Guns should be stored away in a locked gun case or safe and also have trigger locks or cable locks that run through a gun to prevent them from being fired or loaded.

"If you're going to have a gun in the home, it is nice to have some educational components for the children or your spouse or anyone else living in the home that includes understanding some general firearm safety principles," Schmidt said in the video.

He also said parents should take the time to teach their children to never touch or handle a gun, even if it's a non-lethal replica weapon. Even parents who do not own a gun themselves should teach their children this in case they go to someone else's house who does have one.

Phoenix Police Department spokeswoman Sgt. Ann Justus made a similar recommendation, adding that parents need to understand their responsibility to keeping access limited.

Phoenix police teaches people to follow the acronym TAB +1, which means treating every gun as if it is loaded, always keeping the muzzle pointed in a safe direction, being sure of the target and beyond and keeping your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot.

"Anybody that is a new or first-time gun owner should familiarize themselves with the handgun and know what they need to do to protect their family as well," Justus said.

Reach breaking news reporter Alyssa Stoney at alyssa.stoney@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter @stoney_alyssa.