A random national telephone survey of gunowners was conducted in December 1989, using a screening question to identify individuals as gun owners. The hypotheses tested were that people are more likely to keep their firearms loaded if the primary reason for owning a gun is protection, the gun is a handgun, there are no children in the household, or the gun owner has not received training in the proper use of firearms. A total of 605 individuals (approximately two-thirds of the population contacted) participated in the survey. All were 18 years old and older; most were men; and a few were nonwhite (12 percent). The majority owned more than one gun (77 percent). Three of the four hypotheses were supported by the data. Handgun owners, individuals who owned a firearm principally for protection, and people who lived in households without children were all more likely to keep a gun loaded in the home than other individuals. Instruction in the proper use of firearms did not apparently affect the probability of keeping guns loaded. The findings indicate that a significant proportion of gun owners disregard basic safety procedures; however, without information on the specific content of safety instruction, the analysis cannot conclude that education on safe storage practices is ineffective. 2 tables and 32 references