ORLANDO, Fla. — As more Florida teens gain access to firearms, experts and parents alike are pushing for better safety training and stricter gun storage practices.
Chris Louissaint, owner of Firearms Training and Consulting, has been a firearms instructor for nearly a decade. But while responsible gun ownership is at the heart of Louissaint’s work, he’s deeply concerned about a growing problem.
“We are proud to exercise our Second Amendment rights,” Louissaint said. “But however, we have negligent adults that are not doing their part.”
A recent study by the American Academy of Pediatrics shows a 65% increase in Florida middle and high school-aged children carrying handguns, up from 3.7% in 2002 to 6% in 2022.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office reports around 350 guns are stolen from cars each year. Deputies say many of those firearms are taken by adolescents.
Louissaint believes proper storage is the answer to the increase in handgun carrying among youth.
“When we say they’re not properly securing their firearms, not securing within the household, but more importantly, within vehicles, that’s how a lot of these people are getting this unlawful access to firearms, because people are leaving firearms in plain view in their vehicles, and they’re not locking their doors.,” he said.
Carl Jones, an instructor at the Premier Security Education Center, agrees, saying parents are the last line of defense.
“It’s going to be the onus of the parent to understand, eliminate the access of these weapons to children,” Jones said.
Parents like Troy D. Williams are taking it seriously. He recently earned his concealed carry permit and plans to bring his kids to train.
“I plan to take my kids to the range with me just so they can learn,” Williams said. “When you shoot a gun, you realize the type of force it has behind it. Sometimes it takes that to say, ‘Hey, I shouldn’t be playing with this thing.’”
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