Association Between Unlocked Firearms and Pediatric Accidental Gunshot Wounds

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Pediatric Injury Prevention
• Trauma Surgery

Background:

• Firearm-related injuries are the leading cause of death for children in the U.S. since 2019.
• Alabama lacks specific gun storage legislation, leaving a gap in pediatric firearm injury prevention.
• The effectiveness of existing gun storage laws on pediatric firearm injuries remains largely undetermined.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the incidence and characteristics of pediatric firearm injuries in Mobile, Alabama.
• To investigate the proportion of unintentional versus intentional pediatric firearm injuries.
• To identify demographic and socioeconomic factors associated with pediatric firearm injuries.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of pediatric firearm injury cases at a Level 1 Trauma Center (2019-2024).
• Collection and analysis of demographic and injury-specific data.
• Geospatial mapping to correlate injury incidence with socioeconomic factors.

Main Results:

• 194 pediatric firearm injury cases were reviewed; 26% were unintentional.
• The annual incidence of unintentional pediatric firearm injury was 8.5 per 100,000.
• Unintentional injuries were more common in White children (53%), while intentional injuries were more prevalent in Black children (90%).
• Most firearm injuries in the youngest (0-5) and oldest (13-17) pediatric age groups were intentional, whereas unintentional injuries predominated in the 6-12 age group.

Conclusions:

• Unintentional pediatric firearm injuries represent a substantial portion of cases in Mobile, Alabama.
• Findings underscore the importance of targeted injury prevention efforts focused on unintentional firearm incidents.
• This regional data can inform local public health initiatives and policy development for pediatric firearm safety.