Pediatric Firearm Safety: A Call to Action for Nurses

Abstract

The number of pediatric deaths and injuries by firearms per year is at a record high, and firearms are now the leading cause of death in children and young adults in the United States (US). Legislation is slow to develop, partly because of the often contentious discussion of the rights to firearm ownership. Nurses are uniquely positioned to address this issue neutrally at the micro, meso, and macro levels. Nurses are called to action at the bedside, as Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN), and through research, education, and policy initiatives to reduce pediatric injury and death by firearms.