II. Epidemiology: Firearm related injury in United States

  1. U.S. Gunshot Wound overall Incidence
    1. Deaths: 100 per day
    2. Injury: 200 per day
  2. U.S. Gunshot WoundIncidence in teens and children (under age 20 years)
    1. Deaths per year: 6,000
    2. Severe injury per year: 24,000

III. History

  1. Precautions
    1. Ask about Gun Safety and storage as part of overall injury prevention and in neutral, non-politicized tones
    2. Focus on firearm responsibility and preventing unauthorized weapon access
  2. Screening
    1. Are there firearms in your home?
    2. Do you have access to firearms?
  3. Clarifying questions if screening positive
    1. How do you prevent unintended access to your firearms?
    2. How do you prevent high risk persons (e.g. children or suicidal patients) from gaining access to firearms?
    3. Do you have any concerns about your own mental health that worries you about your own firearm access?

IV. Prevention: General

  1. Firearms brought into the home should be unloaded
  2. Firearms should be secured within a locking device (e.g. trigger lock, locked gun case or safe)
  3. Ammunition should be placed in locked storage separate from firearms

V. Prevention: Community-Based Gun Safety Program

  1. North Carolina study
    1. Firearm Safety counseling
    2. Gun lock distribution and instruction on use
  2. Efficacy
    1. Increased gun lock use from 0 to 72%
    2. Decreased unlocked and loaded gun rate from 18 to 7%
  3. Reference
    1. Coyne-Beasley (2001) Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 155:659 [PubMed]

VI. Resources

  1. American Foundation for Firearm Injury Reduction in Medicine
    1. https://affirmresearch.org/

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Related Studies

Ontology: Gun Safety (C2963165)

Definition (MEDLINEPLUS)

Many U.S. households have guns, but they can cause harm if not handled properly. Here are some things you can do to keep yourself and your family safe:

  • Teach children that they shouldn't touch guns and that if they see a gun, to leave it alone and tell an adult.
  • If your children play at another home, talk to the parents about gun safety.
  • Treat every gun as if it were loaded.
  • Always store guns unloaded.
  • Lock guns in a rack or safe, and hide the keys or combination.
  • Store ammunition away from guns and keep it locked.
  • Don't keep guns in your home if someone in your family has a mental illness, severe depression, or potential for violence.
Concepts Human-caused Phenomenon or Process (T068)
English Gun Safety

Ontology: Firearms Safety (C2963166)

Concepts Human-caused Phenomenon or Process (T068)
English Firearms Safety