Assessment of Firearm Storage Practices in the US, 2022

Anestis, Michael D.; Moceri-Brooks, Jayna; Johnson, Rachel L.; Bryan, Craig J.; Stanley, Ian H.; Buck-Atkinson, Jessica; Baker, Justin C.; Betz, Marian E.

doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.1447

Cited by 25 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…First, a higher proportion of American Indian or Alaska Native adults than Black adults owned a firearm, and firearm ownership in the American Indian or Alaska Native sample increased with age. In line with prior research, most firearm owners within both samples were male, lived in rural areas, primarily owned a handgun, and cited home protection as the reason for ownership. Second, within both samples, nearly equivalent proportions of firearm owners endorsed always and never storing at least 1 firearm loaded and using a locking device.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Firearm Access and Gun Violence Exposure Among American Indian or Alaska Native and Black Adults

Anestis,

Moceri-Brooks,

Ziminski

et al. 2024

JAMA Netw Open

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ImportanceAmerican Indian or Alaska Native and Black adults experience elevated rates of firearm injury and death, but both groups are severely underrepresented in research on firearm exposure and behaviors.ObjectiveTo explore geodemographic differences in firearm behaviors and violence exposure among American Indian or Alaska Native and Black adults in the US.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsIn this survey study, nationally representative samples of American Indian or Alaska Native and/or Black adults recruited from KnowledgePanel were surveyed cross-sectionally. Surveys were administered online between April 12 and May 4, 2023.Main Outcomes and MeasuresFirearm access, storage, and carrying behaviors and lifetime firearm violence exposure were the primary outcomes. Demographic factors such as age, geographic location, and political affiliation were considered. Data were weighted to geodemographic distributions from the US Census Bureau’s 2022 Current Population Survey.ResultsOf 3542 participants, 527 (14.9%) were American Indian or Alaska Native (280 [53.1%] female) and 3015 (85.1%) were Black (1646 [54.6%] female). Both groups exhibited high firearm access rates (American Indian or Alaska Native adults: 238 [45.4%; 95% CI, 39.4%-51.7%]; Black adults: 909 [30.4%; 95% CI, 28.0%-32.9%]), predominantly owning handguns for home protection. The groups demonstrated similar firearm storage patterns, and a substantial proportion endorsed always or almost always carrying firearms outside the home (American Indian or Alaska Native adults: 18.9%; Black adults: 15.2%). Self-protection was a common reason for carrying a firearm (American Indian or Alaska Native adults: 104 [84.9%; 95% CI, 74.1%-91.7%]; Black adults: 350 [88.3%; 95% CI, 82.3%-92.4%]), and a minority of participants cited lack of faith in the police (American Indian or Alaska Native adults: 19 [15.2%; 95% CI, 8.2%-26.7%]; Black adults: 61 [15.4%; 95% CI, 10.3%-21.2%]), indicating potential shifts in public safety dynamics.Conclusions and RelevanceIn this survey study of American Indian or Alaska Native and Black US adults, a substantial percentage of both groups reported living in homes with firearms, storing firearms loaded and unlocked, frequently carrying firearms outside the home, and having been exposed directly and indirectly to gun violence. These findings underscore the need for nuanced public health campaigns and policies and highlight challenges for law enforcement in contexts of racial disparities and changing legal frameworks.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Firearm Access and Gun Violence Exposure Among American Indian or Alaska Native and Black Adults

Anestis,

Moceri-Brooks,

Ziminski

et al. 2024

JAMA Netw Open

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“…This broad assessment also does not capture the nuances of firearm storage practices (e.g., cable locks vs. biometric safes). As work in this area expands, it will be important for a standardized, nuanced, and comprehensive approach to the assessment of storage practices (Anestis et al, 2023; Betz et al, 2023).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Firearm ownership and storage practices among United States firefighters and emergency medical services personnel.

Stanley¹,

Lebeaut²,

Betz³

et al. 2024

Psychological Services

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Compared with the general U.S. population, firefighters (FF) and emergency medical services (EMS) workers (FF + EMS personnel) are at increased risk for firearm suicide. Although secure firearm storage is associated with reduced risk of firearm suicide, no study has examined the prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of firearm ownership and storage practices among U.S. FF + EMS personnel. A total of 141 U.S. FF + EMS personnel completed a structured, web-based self-report questionnaire. Overall, 76.6% (n = 108) of FF + EMS personnel in our sample reported owning a personal firearm, among whom 85.2% (n = 92) reported owning more than one firearm. Among firearm owners, 42.6% (n = 46) reported secure firearm storage (i.e., unloaded and locked) and 57.4% (n = 62) reported nonsecure firearm storage (i.e., loaded and/or unlocked). FF + EMS personnel who cited personal safety as the only reason for firearm ownership, as opposed to reporting other or multiple reasons for ownership (e.g., hunting), were at increased odds of reporting nonsecure storage practices (69.4% vs. 47.5%; OR = 2.51, 95% CI [1.14, 5.55], p = .023). Most FF + EMS personnel in our sample reported firearm ownership, and approximately half of the firearm owners reported nonsecure firearm storage practices. Promoting secure firearm storage practices among FF + EMS personnel might decrease risk of firearm suicide and other forms of firearm-related injuries. Impact StatementA nontrivial proportion of firefighters and emergency medical services personnel own firearms and report nonsecure firearm storage practices, which might increase their risk for firearm-related injuries, including suicide. Efforts to promote secure firearm storage in these populations might decrease risk for firearm-related injuries.

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“…In much of America, AR-15s are as easy to buy as hunting rifles. Similarly, most gun owners are insecure storers ( 31 ). Among gun-owning parents, only a minority store all their guns locked and unloaded ( 54 ), which is problematic given that many children report knowing where to find (or even handling) their parents’ guns ( 55 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Yet, some gun advocates worry that requiring owners to lock their guns compromises public safety by delaying access to weapons needed to prevent crime ( 29 , 30 ). Consequently, most gun owners keep unlocked guns in their homes ( 31 ). However, do gun owners and other pro-gun groups feel comfortable when their neighbors store guns for quick, self-defense access?…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Widespread, bipartisan aversion exists to neighbors owning AR-15s or storing guns insecurely

Sola,

Pickett

2024

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Over 45,000 gun deaths occur annually in the United States, a country with more than 100 million gun owners and more than 350 million guns. Nevertheless, passing legislation to reduce gun violence is difficult because the issue is intensely polarized. Polls asking about general gun policies (e.g., AR-15 restrictions) demonstrate that, at least in the abstract, Americans disagree vehemently about whether civilians should be able to keep and bear arms. It is possible, however, that a hidden consensus exists in America, which has thus far escaped attention—specifically, that when the focus is on their immediate environments and daily lives, even traditionally pro-gun groups may exhibit aversion to certain types of gun ownership and storage practices. To test this, we conducted two preregistered survey experiments with a large national sample. The first was a conjoint analysis where respondents chose between neighbors (n = 33,596 choices) who randomly varied on seven attributes, including gun ownership (none, pistol, AR-15). No group of respondents, not even traditionally pro-gun groups (e.g., Republicans), exhibited a significant preference for living near gun owners, and every group was averse to AR-15-owning neighbors. The second experiment, per debates about safe-storage laws, was a picture-based factorial vignette that randomized a neighbor’s gun storage practices (n = 2,098). Every group of respondents was averse to interacting with a neighbor who stored guns outside of a locked safe. Our findings demonstrate that there is widespread agreement that certain types of gun ownership and storage practices are undesirable for communities.

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Assessment of Firearm Storage Practices in the US, 2022

Cited by 25 publications

References 24 publications

Firearm Access and Gun Violence Exposure Among American Indian or Alaska Native and Black Adults

Firearm Access and Gun Violence Exposure Among American Indian or Alaska Native and Black Adults

Firearm ownership and storage practices among United States firefighters and emergency medical services personnel.

Widespread, bipartisan aversion exists to neighbors owning AR-15s or storing guns insecurely

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