************************* "Gun ownership as a risk factor for homicide in the home," Kellerman, et al. New England journal of Medicine, 1993.
->multivariate analysis indicates keeping a gun in the home 2.7 times higher risk for homicide than for persons without a gun in the home (controlled for demo, geo, and income variables). "Virtually all of this risk involved homicide by a family member or intimate acquaintance [not sure what an intimate acquaintance is].
********************* "Suicide in the home in relation to gun ownership" Kellerman, et al. NEJM, 1992 ->Interviews of 442 proxies (usually family member) for suicide completers in two Texas counties (80% of all suicides). Statistical analysis of responses (matched pair analysis) indicate that after controlling for a variety of charateristics, the presence of a weapon in the home was associated with a 4.8 times higher risk for suicide. ************************** "Unintentional, nonfatal firearm-related injuries: a preventable public health burden." Sinaurer et al. JAMA 1996 ->NEISS (hospital) data indicate that of 34,485 (6.7/100,000 pop) persons from June 1, 1992 through May 31, 1994 were treated for firearm-related injuries. "Injuries were most often to an extremity (73%), were self-inflicted (70%), involved a handgun (57%) and resulted during common gun-related activities." *********************** "Latchkey children and guns at home." Lee, et al. JAMA, 1990
->interviews of texas households indicate 55% owned firearms, 54% of HHolds with children reported owning at least one firearm (70% of these have more than one and 66% had a handgun). 15% of HHolds with guns and elementary school-age children had unsupervised children home after elementary school dismissal. Firearm ownership in Texas is 10% higher than the national average. If the other rates hold for the US as a whole, there may be about 1.2 million unsupervised children at home with a firearm present. **************************** Authors
Christoffel KK. Naureckas SM. Institution
Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, Illinois. Title
Firearm injuries in children and adolescents: epidemiology
and preventive approaches. [Review] [20 refs] Source
Current Opinion in Pediatrics. 6(5):519-24, 1994 Oct. Abstract
Firearm injury, now a leading cause of death in childhood and adolescence, had jointed
the ranks of pediatric conditions that threaten child health and development. This paper
reviews articles on epidemiology (of firearm injuries and the firearms themselves) and
prevention. Epidemiology of injuries: 5356 Americans under 20 years of age died of
firearm injuries in 1991; most of these were homicides, and most involved 15 to 19 years
olds. The same year, firearm deaths exceeded motor vehicle deaths in seven states and the
District of Columbia. Case-control studies showed that handguns in the home raised the
risk of homicide threefold, and that handguns raised the risk of suicide ninefold; for
suicide, the risk was greatest (13-fold) in those without psychiatric problems. In Iowa,
handguns were used disproportionately often in suicides (as compared with other
firearms). Hospitalized pediatric shooting victims often had social as well as medical
problems. Epidemiology of firearms: gun ownership was higher among incarcerated
youths than in community controls (83% vs 22%), but the patterns of gun acquisition were
similar: mainly handguns for self-protection, most often from a friend or family member, or
"off the street," cost under $100 per gun. Among 5000 families attending pediatric offices,
32% owned handguns or rifles; 13% of handguns and 1% of rifles were stored unlocked
and loaded. In a school survey, three-fourths of first and second graders who knew there
was a gun at home knew where it was. Gun sales are very loosely under the jurisdiction of
the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms; no regulations affect gun design, and
oversight of commerce is extremely lax.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
[References: 20] ******************************************************************** Authors
Callahan CM. Rivara FP. Farrow JA. Title
Youth in detention and handguns. Source
Journal of Adolescent Health. 14(5):350-5, 1993 Jul. Abstract
The objective of this work was to describe the frequency and correlates of handgun
ownership and firearm injury experiences among youth in a detention facility. A
convenience sample of 89 males detained in the King County Youth Services Center, a
short-term holding facility, voluntarily completed an anonymous survey. Results showed
that 59% of the youth reported owning a handgun. Firearm experiences included carrying a
gun to school (46%); firing at another person (68% of handgun owners); firearm injury to
self (27%); death of a close friend or family member to firearm homicide or suicide
(35%). Personal safety far exceeded recreational use of guns as motivation for self-arming
(52% versus 4%). Handgun ownership was more common among youth who reported
problem behaviors. Adjusting for age and controlling for covariation of the problem
behaviors, gang membership [odds ratio (OR) 6.7; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.7-26.1],
committing assault and battery (OR 7.7; 95% CI 2.2-26.8) and selling drugs (OR 3.6; 95%
CI 0.99-13.4) were associated with handgun ownership. Our conclusion was that firearm
experiences for youth in detention pose health risks equal to or far exceeding other
high-risk behaviors in this population.
******************************************* Authors
Goldberg BW. von Borstel ER. Dennis LK. Wall E. Title
Firearm injury risk among
primary care patients [published erratum appears in J Fam Pract 1996
Jul;43(1):15]. Source
Journal of Family Practice. 41(2):158-62, 1995 Aug. Abstract
BACKGROUND. Firearm injuries are the eighth leading cause of death in the United
States. Evidence suggests that availability of guns in the home is associated with an
increased risk of homicide, suicide, and unintentional injuries and fatalities. Our study
examined five demographically diverse primary care practices in Oregon to determine the
extent to which patients and members of their households might be at risk for firearm
injuries. METHODS. Six hundred and four consecutive English-speaking patients who
were at least 18 years old and seeking care at the five different practices were surveyed.
Participants were asked about the presence of firearms in the home, methods of storage,
history of firearm safety training, and history of firearm counseling by their physicians.
RESULTS. Forty-two percent of respondents reported having at least one firearm in the
home. In homes with firearms, 48% contained at least one firearm that was stored
unlocked, and 26% contained at least one firearm stored loaded. Twenty percent of homes
with children contained at least one unlocked firearm, and 10% contained a loaded
firearm. Forty-five percent [corrected] of those homes with both children and firearms
had at least one gun that was stored unlocked, and 25% [corrected] contained at least one
loaded firearm. Those who reported having had formal firearm safety training were no
more likely to store their firearms safely than those without such training. Only 3% of
respondents reported that their physician had ever talked with them about gun safety.
CONCLUSIONS. Our data indicate that a substantial number of patients cared for by
primary care physicians are at risk for firearm injuries.