Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 11, 2025
Maintenance of a Lateral Fluid Percussion Injury Device
Published on: April 21, 2023
Firearm Screening and Gun Lock Distribution in an Urban, Academic Pediatric Emergency Department
Theresa Timm1,2, Kristen Mueller3, Monica Lim1
1Department of Pediatrics, Washington University, St Louis, MO.
Objectives:
To examine firearm access and storage practices among parents/guardians of pediatric emergency department (PED) patients, and to determine whether the distribution of gun locks impacts overall storage practices.
Materials And Methods:
This was a single-center, prospective observational cohort study in an urban, academic PED with ∼50,000 annual patient visits. From October 2021 through April 2022, parents/guardians of pediatric patients received a firearm triage survey and were offered gun locks. Participants who received locks were contacted for a follow-up phone survey one to two months later.
Results:
Among the 11,771 parents/guardians who completed the triage survey, 17% reported access to a firearm, 70% reported safe storage methods (firearm locked and unloaded), and 16% requested a gun lock. Among the 257 participants who received a gun lock and completed the follow-up survey, 69% reported using the lock. When comparing the triage survey to the follow-up call survey, access to firearms remained constant (88% triage vs 89% follow-up; P = 0.76), as did keeping the firearm unloaded (76% triage vs 79% follow-up; P = 0.10). However, there was an increase in the use of overall locked storage methods ( P < 0.001) as the use of multiple locked storage methods increased from 11% at triage to 59% at follow-up. The absence of locked storage methods decreased from 12% to 3%.
Conclusions:
Firearm screening and gun lock distribution in a PED can contribute to the increased use of safe storage practices in this patient cohort.
