The researchers found that guns from case households were 70 percent less likely to be stored unloaded than control guns. Similarly, case guns were 73 percent less likely to be stored locked, stored separately from ammunition (55 percent less likely), or to have ammunition that was locked (61 percent less likely) than were control guns. These findings were consistent for both handguns and long guns and were also similar for both suicide attempts and unintentional injuries.
"In summary, storing household guns as locked, unloaded, or separate from the ammunition is associated with significant reductions in the risk of unintentional and self-inflicted firearm injuries and deaths among adolescents and children. Programs and policies designed to reduce accessibility of guns to youth, by keeping households guns locked and unloaded, deserve further attention as one avenue toward the prevention of firearm injuries in this population," the authors write.
(JAMA. 2005;293:707-714. Available post-embargo at JAMA.com)
Editor's Note: Funding for this study was provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Editorial: Storing Guns Safely in Homes With Children and Adolescents
In an accompanying editorial, Thomas B. Cole, M.D., M.P.H., Contributing Editor, JAMA, Chicago, and Rene M. Johnson, M.P.H., Ph.D., of the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, comment on the study in this week's JAMA on gun storage practices.
"The study by Grossman et al establishes that safe firearm storage is associated with a reduced risk for firearm injury. The next step is to help families make informed decisions about safe storage of firearms, reco
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Contact: Joan DeClaire
206-287-2653
JAMA and Archives Journals
8-Feb-2005