Prevalence of Household Firearms and Firearm-Storage Practices in the 50 States and the District of Columbia: Findings From the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2002

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Objectives. To examine the prevalence of household firearms and firearm-storage practices in the 50 states and the District of Columbia and estimate the number of children exposed to unsafe storage practices.Methods. We analyzed data from the 2002 cross-sectional Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey of 240 735 adults from randomly selected households with telephones in the 50 states and the District of Columbia.Results. Nationally, 32.6% of adults reported that firearms were kept in or around their home. The prevalence of adults with household firearms ranged from 5.2% in the District of Columbia to 62.8% in Wyoming (median: 40.8%). The prevalence of adults with loaded household firearms ranged from 1.6% in Hawaii, Massachusetts, and New Jersey to 19.2% in Alabama (median: 7.0%), and the prevalence of adults with loaded and unlocked household firearms ranged from 0.4% in Massachusetts to 12.7% in Alabama (median: 4.2%). Among adults with children and youth <18 years old, the prevalence of loaded household firearms ranged from 1.0% to 13.4% (median: 5.3%), and the prevalence of loaded and unlocked household firearms ranged from 0.3% to 7.3% (median: 2.3%); in each instance, Massachusetts had the lowest prevalence and Alabama had the highest. Of all firearm injury deaths, 56.6% were suicides, 39.1% were homicides, 2.5% were unintentional, and an additional 1.8% were legal interventions or of undetermined intent. 1 Furthermore, ϳ1400 firearm deaths were among persons Ͻ18 years old. 2 In addition, for every firearm-related death, ϳ4.6 persons in this same population received nonfatal firearm-related injuries. 3 In 1997, the estimated lifetime costs of medically treated gunshot injuries in the United States totaled $1.9 billion, of which $0.9 billion was paid by the US government. 4 Unintentional injuries, suicide, and homicide among youth may happen because young persons are able to access an improperly stored household firearm. [5][6][7][8][9][10] Approximately 90% of fatal firearm incidents involving children occur within the home, and according to a study of children and youth aged 0 to 14 years by Wintemute et al 8 , 40% of firearm incidents involve a firearm stored in the room in which the shooting occurs. Miller et al 7 found that twice as many firearm deaths among children and youth Ͻ18 years old occur in states with the highest proportion of people living in households with loaded firearms. In addition, Grossman et al 9 reported that safe storage practices, including keeping firearms stored unloaded, locked, or separate from ammunition, are associated with significant reductions in the risk of unintentional injuries and suicides among children and youth. The National Rifle Association, 11 medical organizations, 12-15 and public health agencies 16,17 all support safe firearm-storage practices in homes with children and youth. For example, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that if families must have firearms in their homes, the firearms should be stored locked, unloaded, and...

Firearm-Related Injuries Affecting the Pediatric Population

“…38 Prevalence of gun ownership by household varies significantly geographically, with an estimated low of 5.2% in the District of Columbia to 62.8% of all households in Wyoming. 39 In a study of gun-owning Americans with children under 18 years of age, 21.7% stored a gun loaded, 31.5% stored a gun unlocked, and 8.3% stored at least 1 gun unlocked and loaded. 40 Household firearm owners with adolescents 13 through 17 years of age report leaving their firearms unlocked 41.7% of the time, compared with only 28.8% of household firearm owners with children 0 through 12 years of age.…”

State Firearm Laws, Firearm Ownership, and Safety Practices Among Families of Preschool-Aged Children

“…Furthermore, the potential for state policies to be a product of the selectivity of the residents of the state complicates disentangling the effects of state-level firearm laws. 11 Lawmakers in states with a high proportion of firearm owners may be more reluctant to pass laws that regulate firearm practices; consequently, observed correlations between laws and state-level firearm ownership may reflect state population characteristics or state "gun culture" to a greater extent than states' firearm policy (or lack thereof). In line with the American Academy of Pediatrics' recommendation that parents who own firearms store them locked and unloaded, with ammunition locked and stored separately, 12 we examined how laws aimed at firearm storage practices-along with general state-level firearm laws-are associated with firearm ownership and storage behaviors among families with preschool-aged children.…”

Children and Firearms in the Home: A Southwestern Ohio Ambulatory Research Network (SOAR-Net) Study

“…4,6,8,[12][13][14][15][17][18][19][20] A 2002 national study reported that in households with children Ͻ18 years old, 5.5% had loaded household firearms and 2.5% had firearms that were both loaded and unlocked. 21 The American Academy of Family Physicians recommends firearm education for families in homes with weapons and supports legislation that requires firearms to be stored locked and unloaded. 22 The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that guns be removed from the home if possible, or, at the very least, stored safely (locked and unloaded).…”