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Gun storage patterns in US homes with children. A pediatric practice-based survey. Pediatric Practice Research Group
Y D Senturia1, K K Christoffel, M Donovan
1Children's Memorial Hospital, Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, Ill, USA.
Insights
Most gun-owning families store firearms loaded or unlocked, posing risks to children. Safe gun storage practices, including locking all firearms, are crucial for child safety and injury prevention.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Pediatrics
- Criminology
Background:
- Firearm ownership is prevalent in households with children.
- Inadequate gun storage practices pose significant risks for unintentional injuries and deaths in children.
- Understanding gun storage patterns is essential for developing effective prevention strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize firearm storage behaviors in households with children.
- To identify factors associated with unsafe gun storage practices.
Main Methods:
- A survey was administered to parents of children attending pediatric practices across diverse geographic locations.
- Logistic regression analysis was used to identify predictors of loaded gun storage.
Main Results:
- 32% of surveyed families owned firearms; 61% stored at least one gun unlocked, and 15% stored at least one gun loaded.
- Handguns were more likely to be stored loaded than rifles.
- Only 30% of gun-owning households reported all firearms stored unloaded and locked.
Conclusions:
- Most gun-owning families do not store firearms safely, highlighting the need for universal anticipatory guidance on gun safety.
- Interventions targeting work-related gun handling and promoting safe self-protection methods may improve storage practices.
Objective:
To describe gun storage patterns in gun-owning families with children.
Design:
Survey of parents attending participating offices.
Setting:
Twenty-nine urban, suburban, and rural pediatric practices in Chicago, Ill; New Jersey; Houston, Tex; Utah; Georgia; Iowa; and South Carolina.
Subjects:
Parents of children attending offices for well- or sick-child care.
Selection Procedure:
Consecutive sample of families seen during the 1-week study period. MEASUREMENTS AND ANALYSES: Logistic regression models were constructed to identify sociodemographic factors associated with keeping guns loaded.
Results:
Of 5233 surveys, 1682 (32%) indicated ownership of at least one powder firearm. Of the gun-owning families, 61% reported at least one gun unlocked, and 15% reported at least one gun loaded. Rifles were more often stored unlocked (62% rifles vs 52% handguns, P<.001, z=4.60; two-proportion z-test), but handguns were more likely to be kept loaded (3% rifles vs 27% handguns, P<.001). Seven percent of gun-owning families reported at least one gun unlocked and loaded (handguns 12 times more likely than rifles). Only 30% of households reported all guns stored unloaded and locked up. The best-fit logistic regression model for keeping a gun loaded identified four predictor variables: owning a gun for self-protection, work-related gun ownership, owning a handgun, and no men in the home.
Conclusions:
Because most gun-owning families store guns loaded, unlocked, or both, anticipatory guidance should address gun storage in all such families. Interventions designed to alter the way work guns are dealt with after work, and to provide safe and effective means of self-protection might affect these storage patterns.