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PubMed2003

Lethality of firearms relative to other suicide methods: a population based study.

OBJECTIVES: (1) To quantify lethality of firearms relative to other suicide methods, (2) to quantify the extent to which suicide mortality may be reduced by limiting access to firearms. METHODS: Data on suicides and hospitalised para-suicides that occurred in the state of Illinois from 1990 to 1997 were combined. Total number of episodes for each suicide method was estimated as the sum of the number of suicides and the number of para-suicides for that method. Gender and suicide method were used as proxies for intention to die, and estimated lethality of suicide methods within method-gender groups (for example, male firearm users). Logistic regression was used to quantify the lethality of firearms relative to other suicide methods. Excess mortality associated with the use of firearms was estimated by conservatively assuming that in the absence of firearms the next most lethal suicide method would be used. RESULTS: From January 1990 to December 1997, among individuals 10 years or older in the state of Illinois, there were 37,352 hospital admissions for para-suicide and 10,287 completed suicides. Firearms are the most lethal suicide method. Episodes involving firearms are 2.6 times (95% CI 2.1 to 3.1) more lethal than those involving suffocation-the second most lethal suicide method. Preventing access to firearms can reduce the proportion of fatal firearms related suicides by 32% among minors, and 6.5% among adults. CONCLUSIONS: Limiting access to firearms is a potentially effective means of reducing suicide mortality.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

The Wisconsin Research Network Firearm Safety Survey.

National surveys have reported information on firearm ownership and storage practices, but primary care physicians question whether such information can be generalized to their communities and the patient populations they serve. In this study, an anonymous survey was distributed to 100 consecutive patients in 11 primary care clinics throughout Wisconsin. Demographic information and information on the patient's willingness to have firearm safety discussed as part of their routine care, firearm ownership in the household, firearm storage practices, and the patient's purpose for owning firearms were collected. The study found that patients were willing to answer anonymous survey questions about firearm ownership and storage in their homes. The most effective screening question on gun safety was whether firearms were kept in the home for personal protection. Patients at rural clinics were more likely to own firearms than patients in urban clinics. Keeping firearms for recreational purposes was more common than keeping them for personal protection, which was associated with unsafe storage practices. A majority of patients reported not wanting to receive information on firearm safety from their physician. Overall, the study found that it was not possible to generalize national information on firearm ownership and storage to surveyed patients of primary care clinics in Wisconsin.

Adult↗

PubMed1995

Firearm training and storage.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the extent of firearm training among gun owners, how gun owners currently store their weapons, and the relationship between gun training and gun storage. DESIGN AND SETTING: A national random telephone survey of gun owners conducted from May through June 1994. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 800 adult gun owners residing in the United States. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Number of gun owners who received firearm training and number who store a firearm loaded and unlocked. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine factors associated with firearm training and gun storage practices. RESULTS: A total of 451 (56%) of gun owners have received firearm training. A total of 170 (21%) of gun owners keep a firearm both loaded and unlocked in the home. Factors associated with an increased likelihood of storing guns loaded and unlocked included owning a gun for protection (odds ratio [OR], 2.40; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.62 to 3.54), owning a handgun (OR, 3.31; 95% CI, 1.85 to 5.95), and having received firearm training (OR, 1.71; 95% CI, 1.10 to 2.67). Length of firearm training and how recently training was received have little effect on storage practices. CONCLUSION: It has been suggested that many homicide, suicide, and accidental firearm injuries might be prevented if ready access to lethal weapons was reduced, in part through appropriate storage of guns. Although increased training has been advocated as the prime method to improve gun storage practices, our results cast doubt on whether firearm training, at least as currently provided, will substantially reduce the inappropriate storage of firearms.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

Effects of limiting handgun purchases on interstate transfer of firearms.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of limiting handgun purchases to 1 per month on the illegal movement of firearms across state lines. DESIGN: Data from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms firearms trace database were obtained for traces requested for firearms recovered in connection with criminal investigations. The analysis incorporates data on date and location of purchase for 14606 firearms purchased prior to (September 1989 through June 1993) and after (July 1993 through March 1995) enactment of a Virginia law limiting handgun purchases to 1 per month. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Odds of tracing a firearm acquired prior to implementation of the law to Virginia vs another state in the Southeast compared with the odds for firearms acquired after the law took effect. RESULTS: For firearms recovered anywhere in the United States, 3201 (27%) of 11 876 acquired prior to the implementation of the law and 519 (19%) of 2730 purchased after the law was enacted were traced to Virginia (odds ratio [OR], 0.64; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.58-0.71). For traces initiated in the northeast corridor (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts), 1103 (34.8%) of 3169 of the firearms acquired before the 1-gun-a-month law took effect and 142 (15.5%) of 919 firearms purchased after implementation were traced to Virginia (OR, 0.34; CI, 0.28-0.41). CONCLUSION: Gun control policies involving licensing, registration, and restricting the number of purchases represent efforts to limit the supply of guns available in the illegal market. This study provides evidence that restricting handgun purchases to 1 per month is an effective means of disrupting the illegal interstate transfer of firearms.

Commerce↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Trends in fatal firearm-related injuries, United States, 1962-1993.

OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to review historical trends in U.S. fatal firearm-related injuries for the years 1962-1993. METHODS: Using mortality data from the National Center for Health Statistics and population estimates projected from census data, we calculated national age-adjusted mortality rates and examined trends over the 32-year period. Data were also examined by type of firearm-related death (unintentional, suicide, homicide, legal intervention, and undetermined intention), race, gender, and age group. RESULTS: During the 32-year period, the total number of firearm-related deaths increased by 137%, from 16,720 in 1962 to 39,595 in 1993. Suicide and homicide were responsible for most firearm fatalities. Rates for both firearm suicides and firearm homicides increased over time, while rates for unintentional, legal intervention, and undetermined intention decreased. The highest rates and widest variation in total firearm-related mortality occurred among African-American men (35.2/100,000 to 84.5/100,000). Persons 15-19, 20-24, and > or = 75 years of age experienced the largest changes in rates during recent years; total firearm mortality was higher for the younger age groups (15-19, 20-24) during 1990 through 1993 than any other time during the 32-year period. CONCLUSIONS: These surveillance data help characterize trends over time and the magnitude of firearm-related mortality and identify groups at risk. However, further efforts to improve our understanding of firearm-related deaths and injuries, such as expansion of current surveillance to include information about morbidity associated with firearms and additional epidemiologic research to identify modifiable individual and societal risk factors, are necessary.

Accidents↗

PubMed1996

Factors associated with the intent of firearm-related injuries in pediatric trauma patients.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the characteristics of unintentional and assaultive firearm-related pediatric injuries treated in trauma centers. DESIGN: Comparative analysis of patients 14 years or younger who were admitted to the trauma centers because of unintentional firearm-related injuries (n = 292) vs assaultive firearm-related injuries (n = 457). SETTING: Sixty-eight trauma centers or children's hospitals in the continental United States and Canada that reported data to the National Pediatric Trauma Registry from January 1, 1990, through December 31, 1994. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Frequency distributions of firearm-related injuries in relation to intent and injury circumstances, odds ratios (ORs) on the intent of injury being assaultive, injury severity scales, and in-hospital fatality rates. RESULTS: The frequency of unintentional firearm-related injuries rose in the afternoons peaking between 4 and 5 PM; they predominantly occurred at home (89%). Assaultive firearm-related injuries peaked sharply between 8 and 9 PM and usually occurred on roads or in other public places (63%). About 3 times as many boys as girls were harmed in firearm-related injuries. Given a firearm-related injury resulting in admission to a trauma center, the adjusted OR of it being assaultive was 2.8 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.6-4.6) if the victim was a girl, 4.9 (95% CI, 3.1-7.8) if the shooting occurred at night, 2.6 (95% CI, 1.6-4.2) if the shooting occurred on a weekday, and 21.1 (95% CI, 9.1-49.4) if the shooting occurred on a road. Injury patterns and severity were similar between patients with unintentional and assaultive injuries. Overall, 19% of the patients sustained head injuries, which contributed to 90% of the in-hospital deaths. CONCLUSIONS: Marked differences in injury circumstances exist between unintentional and assaultive firearm-related injuries among children. The late afternoon hours when many children have come home from school but their parents may still be working have the highest frequency of unintentional firearm-related injuries. The evening peak of assaultive injuries may be related to drug-related and gang-related violence. While it is important to reduce the access of firearms to children, school-based extracurricular and community-based social services should be considered in developing intervention programs.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2001

Penetrating chest injuries in the firearm era.

BACKGROUND: firearm wounds of the chest are now common at our institution. The management algorithm for firearm wounds has not been evaluated for this mode of injury. METHODS: records of all patients with penetrating chest injuries admitted to an urban tertiary hospital over 1 year were retrieved and analysed. RESULTS: there were 473 stab and 116 firearm wounds. In comparison to stab injuries firearm wounds had significantly more normal X-rays (14 vs. 5%), fewer pneumothoraces (15 vs. 37%), and more contusions (43 vs. 2%). The frequency of haemothoraces (34 vs. 23%) and haemopneumothoraces (36 vs. 35%) was similar in both groups. Stabbing caused all the 18 cardiac injuries. Associated abdominal injuries occurred in 8% of stab and 34% of firearm injuries. Pneumothoraces due to firearms were uncommon and rarely required drainage. More pneumothoraces were treated nonoperatively among firearm injuries in contrast to stabbing injuries where the opposite applied. The management of haemothorax and haemopneumothorax was similar in both groups that fulfilled the criteria for drainage. The rate of ICU admission was higher and the hospital-stay longer following firearm injuries. Fifty-nine patients died (10% of the total), 33 (28%) from the firearm injuries and 26 (6%) from stab-wounds. Early deaths were 1 and 3% for stabs and firearms, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: patients with firearm injuries reaching hospital suffered three times higher mortality and a longer ICU and hospital stay than those with stab injuries. However, early mortality was similar for both modes of injury and validates the continued application of the stab wound derived management algorithm to all modes of injury.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

Social capital, income inequality, and firearm violent crime.

Studies have shown that poverty and income are powerful predictors of homicide and violent crime. We hypothesized that the effect of the growing gap between the rich and poor is mediated through an undermining of social cohesion, or social capital, and that decreased social capital is in turn associated with increased firearm homicide and violent crime. Social capital was measured by the weighted responses to two items from the U.S. General Social Survey: the per capita density of membership in voluntary groups in each state; and the level of social trust, as gauged by the proportion of residents in each state who believed that "most people would take advantage of you if they got the chance". Age-standardized firearm homicide rates for the years 1987-1991 and firearm robbery and assault incidence rates for years 1991-1994 were obtained for each of the 50 U.S. states. Income inequality was strongly correlated with firearm violent crime (firearm homicide, r = 0.76) as well as the measures of social capital: per capita group membership (r = -0.40) and lack of social trust (r = 0.73). In turn, both social trust (firearm homicide, r = 0.83) and group membership (firearm homicide, r = -0.49) were associated with firearm violent crime. These relationships held when controlling for poverty and a proxy variable for access to firearms. The profound effects of income inequality and social capital, when controlling for other factors such as poverty and firearm availability, on firearm violent crime indicate that policies that address these broader, macro-social forces warrant serious consideration.

Homicide↗

PubMed1998

Firearm-related injury surveillance. An overview of progress and the challenges ahead.

Firearm-related injuries pose a serious public health problem in the United States and are increasingly the focus of public health concern. Despite the magnitude of this problem, ongoing and systematic collection of data on firearm-related injuries to help guide research and policy development has been lacking. The further development of firearm-related injury surveillance systems can provide an objective source of information for policy. Beginning in the mid-1980s, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control began to support the development of firearm-related injury surveillance systems by augmenting existing national- and state-level data collection systems and establishing cooperative agreements with state and local health departments to identify optimal firearm-related injury surveillance practices. Some progress has been made in improving the capacity to undertake firearm injury surveillance at national, state, and local levels for mortality, morbidity (including disability), and risk/protective factors, but much work remains to be done. The development of state and local firearm-related injury surveillance systems provides the clearest potential for linking basic information on firearm-related injuries to action, given the critical role that states have in both public health surveillance and regulation of firearms. Broader application of external cause-of-injury codes, increased standardization and validation of definitions and data-collection instruments, improved methods for identifying firearm characteristics and types, and the identification of efficient techniques for linking health and criminal justice data sources are among the key challenges we face as we try to build a more uniform system for monitoring firearm-related injuries in the United States.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S.↗

PubMed1998

Firearm-related injury surveillance in California.

CONTEXT: Although firearms are the leading cause of injury death in California, no staff resources were devoted to surveillance of firearm-related injuries until 1995, when The California Wellness Foundation funded the Firearm Injury Surveillance Program (FISP). OBJECTIVE: To develop and evaluate surveillance of serious firearm-related injuries and risk factors. DESIGN: Passive surveillance using several data sources: death records, homicide data, hospital discharge data, and Behavioral Risk Factor Surveys. To evaluate FISP, we follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Guidelines for Evaluating Surveillance Systems. SETTING: State of California. PARTICIPANTS: California Department of Health Services, Epidemiology and Prevention for Injury Control Branch. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Deaths and hospitalizations resulting from firearm-related injuries and presence and storage of firearms in the home. We evaluated FISP's utility, simplicity, flexibility, acceptability, representativeness, and timeliness. RESULTS: Firearm-related injuries were the leading cause of death among children as young as 13 or 14 years of age. In 1994, more than 13,000 California residents died or were hospitalized as a result of firearm-related injuries. Except among whites, most of these serious firearm-related injuries were from assaults. The predominance of handguns as murder weapons increased with time and was more marked among younger and racial/ethnic minority victims. FISP provides data needed for setting policy and preventing firearm-related injuries. The system is acceptable and represents the serious firearm-related injury problem well, but lacks flexibility, timeliness, and detail. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the limitations inherent in passive surveillance, FISP serves many of our surveillance needs well.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Drugs and firearm deaths in New York City, 1990-1998.

Firearm deaths remain among the leading causes of mortality in the United States. Changing law enforcement activities, incarceration, drug use, and socioeconomic conditions may have played roles in the declining rates of firearm deaths during the 1990s. Using records from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, we analyzed the role of drugs in firearm deaths in New York City between 1990 and 1998. Positive drug toxicology was present in over half of all firearm death victims during this time. Cocaine, cannabis, opiates, and alcohol accounted for almost all of these deaths with drug-positive toxicology. There were decreases in cocaine- and alcohol-positive toxicology for firearm deaths in New York City starting in the early 1990s; there was a more gradual decrease in heroin-positive toxicology for firearm deaths. Cannabis-positive toxicology for firearm deaths increased in the early part of the 1990s and then decreased starting in the mid-1990s. Although the disparities between minority and white firearm death rates narrowed during this time, minorities remained about three times more likely to be victims of fatal firearm violence than whites in 1998. The highest firearm death rates were among African American and Latino male decedents, with a larger proportion of Latinos testing cocaine or opiate positive, while a larger proportion of African Americans tested cannabis positive. These results suggest a complex role of drugs in firearm-related deaths.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1991

Firearm mortality in Texas, 1976-1985: how far is Fort Smith?

Firearm injuries significantly affect mortality rates in many states throughout the United States. We reviewed all deaths due to injuries in all state for 1985 to determine deaths from firearm injury in proportion to deaths from all injuries in each state. We then compared Texas data with those of other states. Death certificate data for Texas from 1976 through 1985 were used to describe Texas firearm mortality rates by age, gender, and race and to compare firearm injury with other causes of mortality in Texas. Texas ranked first among states in the proportion of injury deaths caused by firearms, with an annual firearm death rate of 21.2 per 10,000. Of the 30,906 firearm deaths recorded in Texas during the 10-year study period, 650 involved children. Black males had the highest firearm homicide rate (53.9 per 100,000 per year), and white males had the highest firearm suicide rate (15.7 per 100,000 per year). Firearms accounted for 11% of the total years of productive life lost. The economic cost of firearm deaths in Texas was estimated to be $40.7 billion per year. Strategies for preventing these deaths are discussed.

Female↗

PubMed1995

National estimates of nonfatal firearm-related injuries. Beyond the tip of the iceberg.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the magnitude and characteristics of nonfatal firearm-related injuries treated in hospital emergency departments in the United States and to compare nonfatal injury rates with firearm-related fatality rates. DESIGN: Data were obtained from medical records for all firearm-related injury cases identified using the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) from June 1, 1992, through May 31, 1993. SETTING: NEISS comprises 91 hospitals that are a stratified probability sample of all hospitals in the United States and its territories that have at least six beds and provide 24-hour emergency service. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Numbers and population rates for nonfatal and fatal firearm-related injuries. RESULTS: An estimated 99,025 (95% confidence interval [CI], 56,325 to 141,725) persons (or 38.6 per 100,000 population; 95% CI, 22.0 to 55.2) were treated for nonfatal firearm-related injuries in US hospital emergency departments during the study period. The rate of nonfatal firearm-related injuries treated was 2.6 (95% CI, 1.5 to 3.7) times the national rate of fatal firearm-related injuries for 1992. CONCLUSIONS: Nonfatal firearm-related injuries contribute substantially to the overall public health burden of firearm-related injuries. NEISS can be useful to monitor the number of nonfatal firearm-related injuries in the United States. A national surveillance system is needed to provide uniform data on firearm-related injury morbidity and mortality for use in research and prevention efforts.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Neighborhood predictors of concealed firearm carrying among children and adolescents: results from the project on human development in Chicago neighborhoods.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies of concealed firearm carrying among children and adolescents have focused on individual risk factors. OBJECTIVE: To identify features of neighborhoods associated with concealed firearm carrying among a representative sample of youth from Chicago, Ill. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis of individual- and neighborhood-level data collected by the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods. SETTING: Families and neighborhoods in Chicago. PARTICIPANTS: Population-based sample of 1842 multiethnic youth aged 9 to 19 years and the 218 neighborhoods in which they resided. Main Outcome Measure Whether youth had ever carried a concealed firearm. RESULTS: Lifetime estimates for concealed firearm carrying were 4.9% for males and 1.1% for females. We found that youth in safer and less disordered neighborhoods were less likely than youth in unsafe and more disordered neighborhoods to carry concealed firearms. Specifically, multilevel nonlinear regression models identified a positive association between concealed firearm carrying and (1) community members' ratings of neighborhoods as unsafe for children; (2) neighborhood social disorder; and (3) neighborhood physical disorder. Neighborhood collective efficacy was negatively associated with concealed firearm carrying. Models controlled for neighborhood economic indicators and individual and family factors associated with the carrying of concealed firearms by youth. CONCLUSIONS: Youth are less likely to carry concealed firearms in areas where there is less violence and increased safety. Interventions to improve neighborhood conditions such as increasing safety, improving collective efficacy, and reducing social and physical disorder may be efficacious in preventing firearm use and its associated injuries and death among youth.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Evaluation of age-appropriate firearm safety interventions.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine if firearm safety training increased the knowledge of school-age children about gun safety. It was predicted that children's knowledge, attitudes, and feelings about firearm safety would be impacted by the method used to teach the key firearm safety constructs. The specific aim was to test the effects of 3 levels of firearm safety training on school-age children's knowledge about gun safety. The hypothesis was that children who attended a firearm injury prevention program that used a scripted discussion, psychomotor exercise, and a role-playing exercise about firearm safety would have greater knowledge about firearm safety. METHODS: A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest randomized complete block design was used. There were 57 participants, 58% were male and the mean age was 5.89 years. A pictorial tool was used to assess kindergarten and first-grade students' baseline and postintervention knowledge of firearm safety. RESULTS: Knowledge increased in all of the intervention groups [F(3,53) = 6.69, P = 0.001]. The greatest increase in knowledge occurred in the scripted discussion/psychomotor exercise group which exhibited an 81% increase in knowledge from the pretest to the posttest. There was no change in the control group's knowledge from pretest to posttest (P = 0.3). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence that children do retain firearm safety training. The long-term objective of this research is to reduce the incidence of firearm injuries during childhood by teaching children how to be safe around guns.

Age Factors↗

PubMed1999

Firearm presence in households of patients with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

OBJECTIVE: Attention has recently been drawn to the potential dangers of firearm use among patients with dementia. However, little is known about the actual prevalence of firearms in households with demented family members. This study seeks to determine the prevalence and loaded status of firearms in households with a demented family member in a sample of outpatients at a University memory disorders clinic. DESIGN: Utilizing a cross-sectional design, subjects underwent a structured NINCDS-ADRDA criteria comprehensive evaluation to assess dementia and were also administered a questionnaire to assess level of mood disturbance. Family members were administered a behavioral checklist and surveyed about the number and loaded status of firearms in the patient's household. SETTING: The study took place in an outpatient Medical University memory disorders clinic in the Southern United States. PATIENTS: Subjects were 106 consecutive outpatients referred for symptoms suggestive of dementia. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Firearm presence was coded as "present," "not present," and "unsure." In cases where firearms were present, the number and loaded status were collected. Other outcome measures included the Clinical Dementia Rating of each patient, the Yesavage Mood Inventory, and the Revised Memory and Behavior Problems Checklist. RESULTS: A high prevalence of firearm prevalence in households with demented family members was revealed (60.4%). Gun ownership was equally prevalent in households regardless of the severity of the dementia (chi-square, P = .426), severity of behavioral disturbance (ANOVA P = .88), or depressive symptoms (ANOVA P = .37). In households with firearms, 44.6% of the families reported that the guns were kept loaded; 38% reported that they did not know whether the guns were loaded. Only 16.9% of the families reported that guns were maintained in an unloaded state. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that many family members living in households in which there are demented patients do not take appropriate action to remove or unload firearms in their households, regardless of the severity of dementia, behavioral disturbance, or depression. These findings suggest that clinicians need to ask families specifically about the presence of firearms and advocate for their removal.

Alzheimer Disease↗

PubMed2006

Firearm suicide in New York City in the 1990s.

OBJECTIVE: Across the US, firearms are used in approximately 60% of all suicide deaths. Little research has assessed the role and determinants of firearms in suicide in major urban areas. METHODS: The authors collected data on all suicide deaths between 1990 and 2000 from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of New York City (NYC) and assessed trends and correlates of firearm related suicide deaths. RESULTS: During the period studied, there were a total of 6008 suicides in NYC; 1200 (20.0%) were firearm related suicides. There was a decrease in total suicides, total firearm suicides, and the proportion of firearm related suicides. In multivariable modeling, characteristics of suicide decedents associated with a greater likelihood of firearm suicide were: male, black race, residing in the outer boroughs, and use of cannabis. CONCLUSIONS: The proportion of suicides caused by firearms in NYC is low compared to other parts of the US; differential access to means of committing suicide and the differential importance of firearms in different racial and ethnic groups may contribute to this observation. Innovative, local population based interventions that target non-firearm related suicide may contribute to lower suicide mortality overall in urban areas.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1999

Firearms in the home: parental perceptions.

BACKGROUND: Each year, thousands of children are injured or killed from unintentional gunshot wounds. Discovering a gun while playing in the home places children at risk of being injured by the firearm. OBJECTIVES: To determine parental firearm storage practices and parental perceptions of the behavior of their children around guns. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey of parents of children from 4 to 12 years of age. A sample of 424 parents, bringing their children to one of five pediatric ambulatory care centers, were asked to complete a 20-point self-administered questionnaire at the time of their visit. RESULTS: A total of 400 parents (94%) completed the questionnaire; 113 parents (28%) reported keeping a firearm (most often a handgun) in the home. Firearm owners were predominantly male, 30 years of age or older, white, and married. Of the gun owners, 52% stored their firearms loaded or unlocked, and 13% kept one or more guns loaded and unlocked. Three fourths of gun-owning parents believed that their 4- to 12-year-old child could tell the difference between a toy gun and a real gun, and 23% believed that their child could be trusted with a loaded gun. Although the majority of gun-owning parents (53%) endorsed safe storage as the best firearm injury prevention strategy, 61% of parents who do not own firearms endorse not owning guns as the best way to prevent pediatric firearm injuries. CONCLUSION: A majority of gun-owning parents store their firearms loaded or unlocked, substantially underestimating the risk of injury to their children. Many firearm-owning parents trust their child with a loaded gun and believe that their young child can tell the difference between a toy gun and a real gun.

Accidents, Home↗