Firearm safety and children: Access and attitudes

Abstract

The statistics relating to firearm injuries sustained by children in the United States are alarming. Each day in the United States, more than 11 people aged 19 years or younger die from injuries caused by firearms. 1 Center to Prevent Handgun Violence Children & guns: a lethal combination. The Center, Washington2000 Google Scholar The number of children who sustain nonfatal firearm injuries is estimated to be 4 to 5 times greater than the number of those who die from fatal firearm injuries. 2 Cummings P Grossman DC Rivara FP Koepsell TD. State gun storage laws and child mortality due to firearms. JAMA. 1997; 278: 1084-1086 Crossref PubMed Google Scholar Firearm-related injuries are the second leading cause of death for children aged 10 to 14 years. 3 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 Crossref PubMed Scopus (61) Google Scholar Children who are newborn to age 14 years in the United States have a 12 times greater risk of death from a firearm than in 25 other industrialized countries combined.