Skip to main content

Advertising Disclaimer »

Main menu

  • Journals
    • Pediatrics
    • Hospital Pediatrics
    • Pediatrics in Review
    • NeoReviews
    • AAP Grand Rounds
    • AAP News
  • Authors/Reviewers
    • Submit Manuscript
    • Author Guidelines
    • Reviewer Guidelines
    • Open Access
    • Editorial Policies
  • Content
    • Current Issue
    • Online First
    • Archive
    • Blogs
    • Topic/Program Collections
    • AAP Meeting Abstracts
  • Pediatric Collections
    • COVID-19
    • Racism and Its Effects on Pediatric Health
    • More Collections...
  • AAP Policy
  • Supplements
  • Multimedia
    • Video Abstracts
    • Pediatrics On Call Podcast
  • Subscribe
  • Alerts
  • Careers
  • Other Publications
    • American Academy of Pediatrics

User menu

  • Log in

Search

  • Advanced search
American Academy of Pediatrics

AAP Gateway

Advanced Search

AAP Logo

  • Log in
  • Journals
    • Pediatrics
    • Hospital Pediatrics
    • Pediatrics in Review
    • NeoReviews
    • AAP Grand Rounds
    • AAP News
  • Authors/Reviewers
    • Submit Manuscript
    • Author Guidelines
    • Reviewer Guidelines
    • Open Access
    • Editorial Policies
  • Content
    • Current Issue
    • Online First
    • Archive
    • Blogs
    • Topic/Program Collections
    • AAP Meeting Abstracts
  • Pediatric Collections
    • COVID-19
    • Racism and Its Effects on Pediatric Health
    • More Collections...
  • AAP Policy
  • Supplements
  • Multimedia
    • Video Abstracts
    • Pediatrics On Call Podcast
  • Subscribe
  • Alerts
  • Careers

Discover Pediatric Collections on COVID-19 and Racism and Its Effects on Pediatric Health

American Academy of Pediatrics
ELECTRONIC ARTICLES

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

Catherine A. Okoro, David E. Nelson, James A. Mercy, Lina S. Balluz, Alex E. Crosby and Ali H. Mokdad
Pediatrics September 2005, 116 (3) e370-e376; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2005-0300
Catherine A. Okoro
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
David E. Nelson
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
James A. Mercy
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Lina S. Balluz
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Alex E. Crosby
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Ali H. Mokdad
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • Comments
Loading
Download PDF

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 240735 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. Findings indicate that ∼1.69 million (95% confidence interval: 1.57–1.82 million) children and youth in the United States <18 years old are living with loaded and unlocked household firearms.

Conclusions. Substantial state variations exist in the prevalence of household firearms and firearm-storage practices. It is vital that surveillance systems such as the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System continue to monitor the prevalence of household firearms and firearm-storage practices so that future interventions to promote safe storage of firearms can be evaluated and more widely implemented based on their efficacy.

  • firearms
  • children
  • youth
  • behavior
  • risk taking
  • telephone
  • BRFSS

Firearm-related injuries remained the second leading cause of injury mortality in 2002, accounting for 30242 firearm-related deaths.1Of 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.1Furthermore, ∼1400 firearm deaths were among persons <18 years old.2In addition, for every firearm-related death, ∼4.6 persons in this same population received nonfatal firearm-related injuries.3In 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.5–10Approximately 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 al8, 40% of firearm incidents involve a firearm stored in the room in which the shooting occurs. Miller et al7found that twice as many firearm deaths among children and youth <18 years old occur in states with the highest proportion of people living in households with loaded firearms. In addition, Grossman et al9reported 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,11medical organizations,12–15and public health agencies16,17all 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 separate from locked ammunition.12Efforts to promote proper storage of firearms in homes may help reduce the risk of both fatal and nonfatal injury.6,7,9,10,16,18–21

Despite the fact that national estimates on the prevalence of household firearms and their manner of storage are available,21–23limited information exists regarding these estimates at the state level.22,24–27Thus, the purposes of this study were threefold: to estimate (1) the prevalence of adults with household firearms and their firearm-storage practices at the state level; (2) the prevalence of loaded and of loaded and unlocked household firearms among adults with children and youth <18 years old at the state level; and (3) by state the number of children and youth exposed to these firearm-storage practices.

METHODS

The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is a state-based surveillance system operated by state health departments in collaboration with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A detailed description of the survey methods used by BRFSS is available elsewhere.28–30Briefly, the primary purpose of BRFSS is to provide state-specific estimates of behaviors that relate to the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the United States. Trained interviewers collect data on a monthly basis by using an independent probability sample of households with telephones among the noninstitutionalized US population aged ≥18 years. Individual respondents are selected randomly from all adults living in a household. All BRFSS questionnaires and data are available on the Internet (www.cdc.gov/brfss). Because the BRFSS is a surveillance system, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Institutional Review Board has determined that the BRFSS is exempt from its review.

In 2002, all 50 states and the District of Columbia participated, and 240735 persons aged ≥18 years completed the interview. Firearm-storage questions were added to the BRFSS for the first time in all 50 states and the District of Columbia in 2002. We limited our analyses to the 223819 BRFSS respondents (88928 men and 134891 women) who answered all survey questions on household firearms and who reported whether their households included children and youth <18 years old. Respondents were excluded if they had unknown responses or refused to answer the questions. The median response rate, based on the number of individuals actually reached by telephone, was 76.7% (range: 62.5% [in California] to 99.8% [in Minnesota]).31The more conservative response-rate formula based on Council of American Survey and Research Organizations' guidelines produced a median response rate of 58.3% (range: 42.2% [in New Jersey] to 82.6% [in Minnesota]).31

Survey Questions and Definitions of Firearm-Storage Practices

The interviewer began the firearm section of the survey by first informing the respondent that “the next three questions are about firearms. We are asking these in a health survey because of our interest in firearm-related injuries. Please include weapons such as pistols, shotguns, and rifles; but not BB guns, starter pistols, or guns that cannot fire. Include those kept in a garage, outdoor storage area, or motor vehicle.” Presence of firearms in the home was assessed by asking the respondent, “Are any firearms kept in or around your home?” Firearm-storage patterns were derived from 2 questions: “Are any of these firearms now loaded?” and “Are any of these loaded firearms also unlocked? By ‘unlocked’ we mean you do not need a key or combination to get the gun or to fire it. We don't count a safety as a lock.” We created 3 firearm-storage pattern categories: “any household firearm” (yes/no), “loaded household firearm” (yes/no), and “loaded and unlocked household firearm” (yes/no). However, the state of California used a different set of firearm questions than the other states, and as a result, we were only able to create 2 categories for California: “any household firearm” and “loaded and unlocked household firearm.”

Statistical Analyses

Both SAS (SAS Institute, Cary, NC) and SUDAAN (Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, NC) were used in all analyses to account for the complex sampling design and to calculate 95% confidence intervals (CIs). BRFSS data were directly weighted for the probability of selection of a telephone number, the number of adults in a household, and the number of telephones in a household. Finally, data were poststratified to adjust for nonresponse and noncoverage of households without telephones and to force the sum of the weighted frequencies to equal each state's adult population (ie, final weight). These data are representative of >200 million US adults in 2002 (117 million adults without children and youth <18 years old and 83 million adults with children and youth <18 years old). Data from all states are pooled to produce nationally representative estimates.

We first estimated the national and state prevalence of adults with household firearms; second, we estimated the national and state prevalence of adults with any loaded household firearms and any loaded and unlocked household firearms. Next, among adults with children and youth <18 years old, we estimated the national and state prevalence of loaded household firearms and loaded and unlocked household firearms. Finally, to estimate the number of children and youth <18 years old who were exposed to loaded firearms and to loaded and unlocked firearms among households with children and youth, we used the following formula: number of children and youth = [(final weight/number of adults in a household) × a] × b, where a equals the percentage of households with children and youth in which firearms were stored loaded or loaded and unlocked, and b equals the average number of children in households in which firearms were stored loaded or loaded and unlocked.

RESULTS

Nationally, 32.6% (95% CI: 32.2–32.9%) 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%) (Table 1).

View this table:
  • View inline
  • View popup
TABLE 1.

Prevalence Estimates of Adults With Household Firearms, Loaded Household Firearms, and Loaded and Unlocked Household Firearms, 2002

The national prevalence of adults with loaded household firearms and with loaded and unlocked household firearms was 7.6% (95% CI: 7.5–7.8%) and 4.3% (95% CI: 4.2–4.5%), respectively. 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%).

Nationally, among adults with children and youth <18 years old, 5.5% (95% CI: 5.3–5.8%) reported having loaded household firearms and 2.5% (95% CI: 2.3–2.6%) reported having loaded and unlocked household firearms. Among adults with children and youth, the prevalence of loaded household firearms ranged from 1.0% in Massachusetts to 13.4% in Alabama (median: 5.3%), and the prevalence of loaded and unlocked household firearms ranged from 0.3% in Massachusetts to 7.3% in Alabama (median: 2.3%) (Table 2). In 7 states (Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Montana), the prevalence of loaded household firearms among adults with children and youth was ≥10%; in 6 states (Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming), the prevalence of loaded and unlocked household firearms among adults with children and youth was >5%.

View this table:
  • View inline
  • View popup
TABLE 2.

Prevalence Estimates of Loaded Household Firearms and Loaded and Unlocked Household Firearms Among Adults With Children and Youth <18 Years Old and the Estimated Number of Children and Youth Living With Loaded and Loaded and Unlocked Firearms, 2002

Although household firearms were less likely to be stored loaded or loaded and unlocked among adults with children and youth than among adults overall, an estimated 1692610 children and youth (95% CI: 1569320–1815910) in the United States were living in households with loaded and unlocked firearms (Table 2). The 6 states with >75000 children and youth living in households with loaded and unlocked firearms were Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Texas.

DISCUSSION

To our knowledge, this is one of the first studies to comprehensively examine both the prevalence of adults with household firearms and firearm-storage patterns at the state level. Our study findings are similar to national studies that have shown that, regardless of whether children and youth live in the home, approximately one third of US homes contain firearms.21–23According to our study, during 2002, an estimated 33% of all adults lived in households with firearms, and an estimated 4% of adults lived in households with firearms stored in the least safe manner (ie, loaded and unlocked). Household firearms were less likely to be stored in an unsafe manner by adults with children and youth <18 years old; nonetheless, >1.6 million children lived in households with loaded and unlocked firearms.

We found substantial state variations in the prevalence of adults with household firearms, from 10% in Hawaii to 63% in Wyoming (the prevalence in the District of Columbia was 5%). Furthermore, among adults with children and youth, a >24-fold difference was found between Massachusetts and Alabama in the percentage of loaded and unlocked household firearms. Few national studies have reported population-based representative estimates of firearm-storage patterns. In a 1993 report, the US Department of Justice estimated that 49% of homes in the United States had household firearms,32a level of firearm ownership typically reported in the 1980s and early 1990s.23,33Using this national estimate and data from his study, Hemenway et al34estimated that 10% of US homes had a firearm that was currently loaded and unlocked; this finding is more than double our estimate using a more direct approach (4.3%). The difference between our estimates may be a result of a secular decline in the proportion of households that reported having firearms and, hence, the proportion of households that were likely to engage in unsafe storage practices. In addition, it is also possible that a proportion of the households that formerly stored firearms loaded and unlocked have since implemented safe storage practices in their homes.

These findings are consistent with an earlier BRFSS study conducted using 1991–1995 data from 21 states.26Specifically, Powell et al26reported that the prevalence of adults with household firearms ranged from 12% in New Jersey to 57% in Idaho. For these 21 states, our 2002 prevalence estimates ranged from 11% in New Jersey to 58% in West Virginia (Idaho: 57%). For 18 states, the authors reported that the prevalence of children living in households with a loaded firearm ranged from 2% in Connecticut and Delaware to 12% in Mississippi. For these same states, our prevalence estimates ranged from 1% in New Jersey to 11% in Mississippi.

Our study had some limitations. First, because BRFSS excludes households without telephones, our findings may have overestimated the prevalence of firearms in households, because low income is associated with both lack of telephone service and a lower prevalence of firearms.35Second, although the validity of self-reported firearm storage is not known, previous studies suggest that self-reports of firearm ownership are valid.36,37However, our findings represent self-reports of the presence of a household firearm, not firearm ownership. Nevertheless, the interviews were conducted with a randomly selected adult in the home. As a result, some participants may not have known about a firearm that was kept by another household member.38–40For example, female respondents in particular have been shown to underreport firearms in the home. Likewise, female respondents who are aware of a household firearm kept by their spouse may be less likely to know how it is stored.38,39Thus, we may have underestimated firearm prevalence and unsafe storage practices in US households.

Our estimates on the prevalence of household firearms also lacked an appraisal of the types of firearms available (ie, handgun or long gun). For example, adults keeping a handgun for protection may be more apt to store it loaded, whereas adults keeping a rifle for sport may keep it locked and unloaded until needed.34,41,42The population characteristics of adults owning only a handgun may also differ from adults owning only a long gun. In addition, as mentioned previously, California used a different set of questions to assess both firearm prevalence and loaded and unlocked firearms. Thus, comparison of California's firearm prevalence estimates to that of the other 49 states and the District of Columbia should be done cautiously.

These results demonstrate the wide range of household firearm prevalence and storage of household firearms among the states, and we estimate that >1.6 million children live in homes with firearms stored in the least safe manner. A better understanding of firearm owners' attitudes, beliefs, and gun-storage behaviors is needed to effectively develop and evaluate community-based education programs that promote safe firearm storage.43In addition, there is an absence of direct empirical evidence on how firearm safety technologies (ie, locking, protection, sensor and tracking technology) impact injury.27These state-level prevalence estimates of household firearms and storage practices will permit future assessment of changes in the risk profile of US households as firearm safety technologies and strategies to encourage safe firearm storage are developed, implemented, and evaluated.22,27

Public health measures are needed to encourage the safe storage of household firearms. Such measures could include counseling of parents by primary care providers, especially pediatricians, regarding safe firearm storage.12,15,44However, although studies have shown that parents are open to screening and counseling about firearm storage and safety,5,45,46these services are rarely performed.47,48There is also conflicting evidence on the effectiveness of parental safe–firearm-storage counseling.5,45,46,49,50Other strategies to decrease child access to firearms in the home may include child-access–prevention laws, currently in place in 18 states, specifically designed to limit children's access to and use of firearms in the home18,51; safe firearm-storage–promotion programs52,53; and the provision of safety devices.43,54These and other measures may help reduce the number of children exposed to unsafe firearm-storage practices and, in turn, decrease the number of firearm-related injuries and deaths among children and youth. However, many of these prevention strategies have not been based on preliminary effectiveness data, nor have they been evaluated adequately, generally because of scant funding for evaluation of these programs.27It is crucial that firearm-injury-prevention programs incorporate evaluation into implementation efforts and that a sustained body of research be developed to study the effects of prevention programs on the rates of firearm-related morbidity and mortality.27

It is important to identify, implement, and evaluate effective methods to prevent firearm-related morbidity and mortality—from counseling youth and adults with depressive symptoms, to evaluating firearm safety technologies, to a variety of safe storage options. This is of utmost importance for the most vulnerable segments of our population—children and youth, persons with depressive symptoms, and those who have threatened suicide. Surveillance systems such as the BRFSS can be used to effectively monitor the prevalence of household firearms and firearm-storage practices so that future interventions to promote safe storage of firearms can be evaluated and more widely implemented based on their efficacy.

Acknowledgments

We thank the state Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System coordinators for help in collecting the data used in this analysis; members of the Behavioral Surveillance Branch for assistance in developing the database; Henry Roberts, PhD, and Tara Strine, MPH, for statistical expertise; and Lynda Doll, PhD, for constructive review of this manuscript. We also thank 3 anonymous reviewers for insightful comments that contributed to the final version of this manuscript.

Footnotes

    • Accepted April 8, 2005.
  • Address correspondence to Catherine A. Okoro, MS, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Hwy, NE, Mailstop K66, Atlanta, GA 30341. E-mail: cokoro{at}cdc.gov
  • The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    No conflict of interest declared.

    PEDIATRICS (ISSN 0031 4005). Published in the public domain by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

BRFSS, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System • CI, confidence interval

REFERENCES

  1. ↵
    Kochanek KD, Murphy SL, Anderson RN, Scott C. Deaths: final data for 2002. Natl Vital Stat Rep.2004;53(5) :1– 115. Available at: www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr53/nvsr53_05acc.pdf. Accessed January 19, 2005
    OpenUrl
  2. ↵
    Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. WISQARS injury mortality reports, 2000–2002. Atlanta, GA: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2004. Available at: www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars. Accessed January 19, 2005
  3. ↵
    US Consumer Product Safety Commission. National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) on-line: 2002. Available at: www.cpsc.gov/library/neiss.html. Access January 19, 2005
  4. ↵
    Cook PJ, Ludwig J. Gun Violence: The Real Costs. New York, NY: Oxford University Press; 2000
  5. ↵
    Coyne-Beasley T, Schoenbach VJ, Johnson RM. “Love our kids, lock your guns”: a community-based firearm safety counseling and gun lock distribution program. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med.2001;155 :659– 664
    OpenUrlPubMed
  6. ↵
    Grossman DC, Reay DT, Baker SA. Self-inflicted and unintentional firearm injuries among children and adolescents: the source of the firearm. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med.1999;153 :875– 878
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  7. ↵
    Miller M, Azrael D, Hemenway D, Vriniotis M. Firearm storage and unintentional firearm deaths: results from the 2002 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Available at: apha.confex.com/apha/132am/techprogram/paper_79234.htm. Accessed January 19, 2005
  8. ↵
    Wintemute GJ, Teret SP, Kraus JF, Wright MA, Bradfield G. When children shoot children. 88 unintended deaths in California. JAMA.987;257 :3107– 3109
  9. ↵
    Grossman DC, Mueller BA, Riedy C, et al. Gun storage practices and risk of youth suicide and unintentional firearm injuries. JAMA.2005;293 :707– 714
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  10. ↵
    Cummings P, Grossman DC, Rivara FP, Koepsell TD. State gun safe storage laws and child mortality due to firearms. JAMA.1997;278 :1084– 1086
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  11. ↵
    National Rifle Association. Parents' Guide to Gun Safety. Fairfax, VA; National Rifle Association: 2004. Available at: www.nrahq.org/safety/eddie/infoparents.asp. Accessed January 19, 2005
  12. ↵
    American Academy of Pediatrics. Firearm-related injuries affecting the pediatric population. Pediatrics.2000;105 :888– 895
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  13. American Medical Association. H-145.997. Firearms as a Public Health Problem in the United States—Injuries and Death. Chicago, IL: American Medical Association; 1999. Available at: www.ama-assn.org/apps/pf_new/pf_online?f_n=browse&doc=policyfiles/HnE/H-145.997.HTM. Accessed January 19, 2005
  14. American Academy of Family Physicians. Firearms/handgun firearms, handguns and assault weapons. Available at: www.aafp.org/x6823.xml. Accessed January 19, 2005
  15. ↵
    American College of Physicians. Firearm injury prevention. Ann Intern Med.1998;128 :236– 241
    OpenUrlPubMed
  16. ↵
    US Department of Health and Human Services. Healthy People 2010: Understanding and Improving Health. 2nd ed. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office; 2000. Available at: www.healthypeople.gov/Document/tableofcontents.htm#under. Accessed January 19, 2005
  17. ↵
    US Preventive Services Task Force. Violent behavior and firearms. In: Guide to Clinical Preventive Services. Washington, DC: US Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion; 1996. Available at: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/bv.fcgi?rid=hstat6.section.5699#6139. Accessed January 19, 2005
  18. ↵
    Webster DW, Vernick JS, Zeoli AM, Manganello JA. Association between youth-focused firearm laws and youth suicides. JAMA.2004;292 :594– 601
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  19. Shenassa ED, Rogers ML, Spalding KL, Roberts MB. Safer storage of firearms at home and risk of suicide: a study of protective factors in a nationally representative sample. J Epidemiol Community Health.2004;58 :841– 848
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  20. Institute of Medicine. Reducing Suicide: A National Imperative. Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 2002
  21. ↵
    Stennies G, Ikeda R, Leadbetter S, Houston B, Sacks J. Firearm storage practices and children in the home, United States, 1994. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med.1999;153 :586– 590
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  22. ↵
    Johnson RM, Coyne-Beasley T, Runyan CW. Firearm ownership and storage practices, U.S. households, 1992–2002. A systematic review. Am J Prev Med.2004;27 :173– 182
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  23. ↵
    Schuster MA, Franke TM, Bastian AM, Sor S, Halfon N. Firearm storage patterns in US homes with children. Am J Public Health.2000;90 :588– 594
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  24. ↵
    Miller M, Hemenway D, Azrael D. Firearms and suicide in the northeast. J Trauma.2004;57 :626– 632
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  25. Miller M, Azrael D, Hemenway D. Rates of household firearm ownership and homicide across US regions and states, 1988–1997. Am J Public Health.2002;92 :1988– 1993
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  26. ↵
    Powell KE, Jacklin BC, Nelson DE, Bland S. State estimates of household exposure to firearms, loaded firearms, and handguns, 1991 through 1995. Am J Public Health.1998;88 :969– 972
    OpenUrlPubMed
  27. ↵
    National Research Council. Firearms and Violence: A Critical Review. Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 2005
  28. ↵
    Mokdad AH, Stroup DF, Giles WH; Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Team. Public health surveillance for behavioral risk factors in a changing environment: recommendations from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Team. MMWR Recomm Rep.2003;52 (RR-9):1–12
  29. Holtzman D. The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. In: Blumenthal DS, DiClemente RJ, eds. Community-Based Health Research: Issues and Methods. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company, Inc; 2004:115– 131
  30. ↵
    Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Operational and User's Guide. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services; 2005. Available at: www.cdc.gov/brfss/pdf/userguide.pdf. Accessed March 22, 2005
  31. ↵
    Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2002 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Summary Data Quality Report. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2003. Available at: www.cdc.gov/brfss/technical_infodata/pdf/2002SummaryDataQualityReport.pdf. Accessed January 19, 2005
  32. ↵
    US Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics. Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics. Washington, DC: US Department of Justice; 1993
  33. ↵
    Kleck G. Targeting Guns: Firearms and Their Control. New York, NY: Aldine De Gruyter; 1997
  34. ↵
    Hemenway D, Solnick SJ, Azrael DR. Firearm training and storage. JAMA.1995;273 :46– 50
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  35. ↵
    Thornberry OT, Massey JT. Trends in United States telephone coverage across time and subgroups. In: Groves RM, Biemer PP, Lyberg LE, Massey JT, Nichols WL, eds. Telephone Survey Methodology. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons; 1988:25– 49
  36. ↵
    Rafferty AP, Thrush JC, Smith PK, McGee HB. Validity of a household gun question in a telephone survey. Public Health Rep.1995;110 :282– 288
    OpenUrlPubMed
  37. ↵
    Kellermann AL, Rivara FP, Banton J, Reay D, Fligner CL. Validating survey responses to questions about gun ownership among owners of registered handguns. Am J Epidemiol.1990;131 :1080– 1084
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  38. ↵
    Nelson DE, Grant-Worley JA, Powell K, Mercy J, Holtzman D. Population estimates of household firearm storage practices and firearm carrying in Oregon. JAMA.1996;275 :1744– 1748
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  39. ↵
    Nelson DE, Powell K, Johnson CJ, Mercy J, Grant-Worley JA. Household firearm storage practices: do responses differ by whether or not individuals ever use firearms? Am J Prev Med.1999;16 :298– 302
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  40. ↵
    Ludwig J, Cook PJ, Smith TW. The gender gap in reporting household gun ownership. Am J Public Health.1998;88 :1715– 1718
    OpenUrlPubMed
  41. ↵
    Forjuoh SN, Coben JH, Dearwater SR. Firearm ownership and storage practices in Pennsylvania homes. Inj Prev.1996;2 :278– 282
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  42. ↵
    Wiktor SZ, Gallaher MM, Baron RC, Watson ME, Sewell CM. Firearms in New Mexico. West J Med.1994;161 :137– 139
    OpenUrlPubMed
  43. ↵
    McGee KS, Coyne-Beasley T, Johnson RM. Review of evaluations of educational approaches to promote safe storage of firearms. Inj Prev.2003;9 :108– 111
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  44. ↵
    Bass JL. TIPP–the first ten years. Pediatrics.1995;95 :274– 275
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  45. ↵
    Kruesi MJ, Grossman J, Pennington JM, Woodward PJ, Duda D, Hirsch JG. Suicide and violence prevention: parent education in the emergency department. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry.1999;38 :250– 255
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  46. ↵
    Albright TL, Burge SK. Improving firearm storage habits: impact of brief office counseling by family physicians. J Am Board Fam Pract.2003;16 :40– 46
    OpenUrlPubMed
  47. ↵
    Barkin S, Duan N, Fink A, Brook RH, Gelberg L. The smoking gun: do clinicians follow guidelines on firearm safety counseling? Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med.1998;152 :749– 756
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  48. ↵
    Olson LM, Christoffel KK, O'Connor KG. Pediatricians' experience with and attitudes toward firearms. Results of a national survey. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med.1997;151 :352– 359
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  49. ↵
    Grossman DC, Cummings P, Koepsell TD, et al. Firearm safety counseling in primary care pediatrics: a randomized, controlled trial. Pediatrics.2000;106 :22– 26
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  50. ↵
    Stevens MM, Olson AL, Gaffney CA, Tosteson TD, Mott LA, Starr P. A pediatric, practice-based, randomized trial of drinking and smoking prevention and bicycle helmet, gun, and seatbelt safety promotion. Pediatrics.2002;109 :490– 497
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  51. ↵
    Hahn RA, Bilukha OO, Crosby A, et al. First reports evaluating the effectiveness of strategies for preventing violence: firearm laws. Findings from the Task Force on Community Preventive Services. MMWR Recomm Rep.2003;52(RR-14) :11– 20
    OpenUrl
  52. ↵
    Meyer G, Roberto AJ, Atkin CK. A radio-based approach to promoting gun safety: process and outcome evaluation implications and insights. Health Commun.2003;15 :299– 318
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  53. ↵
    Horn A, Grossman DC, Jones W, Berger LR. Community based program to improve firearm storage practices in rural Alaska. Inj Prev.2003;9 :231– 234
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  54. ↵
    Coyne-Beasley T, McGee KS, Johnson RM, Bordley WC. The association of handgun ownership and storage practices with safety consciousness. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med.2002;156 :763– 768
    OpenUrlPubMed
  • Copyright © 2005 by the American Academy of Pediatrics
PreviousNext
Back to top

Advertising Disclaimer »

In this issue

Pediatrics
Vol. 116, Issue 3
1 Sep 2005
  • Table of Contents
  • Index by author
View this article with LENS
PreviousNext
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on American Academy of Pediatrics.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
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
(Your Name) has sent you a message from American Academy of Pediatrics
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the American Academy of Pediatrics web site.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Request Permissions
Article Alerts
Log in
You will be redirected to aap.org to login or to create your account.
Or Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Citation Tools
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
Catherine A. Okoro, David E. Nelson, James A. Mercy, Lina S. Balluz, Alex E. Crosby, Ali H. Mokdad
Pediatrics Sep 2005, 116 (3) e370-e376; DOI: 10.1542/peds.2005-0300

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Share
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
Catherine A. Okoro, David E. Nelson, James A. Mercy, Lina S. Balluz, Alex E. Crosby, Ali H. Mokdad
Pediatrics Sep 2005, 116 (3) e370-e376; DOI: 10.1542/peds.2005-0300
del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo CiteULike logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
Print
Download PDF
Insight Alerts
  • Table of Contents

Jump to section

  • Article
    • Abstract
    • METHODS
    • RESULTS
    • DISCUSSION
    • Acknowledgments
    • Footnotes
    • REFERENCES
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • Comments

Related Articles

  • No related articles found.
  • PubMed
  • Google Scholar

Cited By...

  • Firearm ownership and acquisition in California: findings from the 2018 California Safety and Well-being Survey
  • Firearms training and storage practices among US gun owners: a nationally representative study
  • The Rising Prevalence of Weapons in Unsafe Arming Configurations Discovered in American Airports: the Increasing Practice of Storage and Carry of Firearms with a Round Chambered
  • Evaluation of a community-based safe firearm and ammunition storage intervention
  • Firearm Storage in Homes With Children With Self-Harm Risk Factors
  • Long-Term Trends in the Sources of Boston Crime Guns
  • Confronting the Firearm Injury Plague
  • Quality of consumer-targeted internet guidance on home firearm and ammunition storage
  • Firearm-Related Injuries Affecting the Pediatric Population
  • Children and Firearms in the Home: A Southwestern Ohio Ambulatory Research Network (SOAR-Net) Study
  • Pediatricians' involvement in gun injury prevention
  • Google Scholar

More in this TOC Section

  • Cerebral Lymphoma in an Adenosine Deaminase–Deficient Patient With Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Receiving Polyethylene Glycol–Conjugated Adenosine Deaminase
  • Disparate Clinical Presentation of Neonatal Hemochromatosis in Twins
  • Cardiovascular Malformations Among Preterm Infants
Show more ELECTRONIC ARTICLES

Similar Articles

Subjects

  • Developmental/Behavioral Pediatrics
    • Developmental/Behavioral Pediatrics
  • Administration/Practice Management
    • Risk Management
    • Administration/Practice Management
  • Injury, Violence & Poison Prevention
    • Home Safety
  • Journal Info
  • Editorial Board
  • Editorial Policies
  • Overview
  • Licensing Information
  • Authors/Reviewers
  • Author Guidelines
  • Submit My Manuscript
  • Open Access
  • Reviewer Guidelines
  • Librarians
  • Institutional Subscriptions
  • Usage Stats
  • Support
  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe
  • Resources
  • Media Kit
  • About
  • International Access
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Statement
  • FAQ
  • AAP.org
  • shopAAP
  • Follow American Academy of Pediatrics on Instagram
  • Visit American Academy of Pediatrics on Facebook
  • Follow American Academy of Pediatrics on Twitter
  • Follow American Academy of Pediatrics on Youtube
  • RSS
American Academy of Pediatrics

© 2021 American Academy of Pediatrics