Firearm Safety

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Firearm Safety
Firearm Safety
Michael P. Hirsh, M.D., FAACP.
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Types of Firearms
Types of Firearms

• Handgun - a firearm that is held and
• fired with one hand
• Rifle -A firearm with a rifled bore,
• designed to be fired from the
• shoulder. An artillery piece or
• naval gun with spiral grooves.
• Shotgun - a light, smooth-bored gun,
• often double-barreled,
• specially designed for
  firing
• small shot at short range,
  and
• killing small game.

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Epidemiology
Epidemiology
Firearm Injury Statistics

• Everyday 11 people under 19 are killed by
  firearms.
• 1968 to 1991 study, firearm-related deaths in
  1991
• exceeded the number of motor vehicle related
  deaths
• in the United States.
• Firearm related injuries are the second leading
  cause
• of death for children ages 10-14 yrs.
• It is estimated that the number of children
  sustaining
• non-fatal firearm injuries is four to five
  times greater
• than the number of children who die from such
  
• injuries each year.
• Handguns account for the majority of firearm
  related
• injuries in the United States.

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Epidemiology Contd
Epidemiology Continued
Firearm Prevalence Statistics

• Approximately 50 of all US homes have a firearm.
• Over 50 of handguns are stored loaded or with
  the ammunition.
• Keeping a gun in the home increases the chances
  of a homicide by three times and increases the
  chances of a suicide by five times.
• A gun kept in a household is 43 times more likely
  to kill someone that the family knows than to
  kill someone in self-defense.
• 77 of violent deaths in schools are caused by
  firearms.

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Firearm Facts in Children
Firearm Exposure in Children

• Children watch an average of 45 violent acts on
  TV each day.
• Playing with toy guns may contribute to
  unintentional shootings.

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Cost to Healthcare
Cost to Healthcare

• In 1994, the mean cost per injury due to
  gunshots was approximately 17,000.
• The injuries due to gunshots in 1994
  alone, created a projected 2.3 billion in
  medical costs over a lifetime.
• Of the 2.3 billion, 1.1 billion will be paid
  by taxpayers.

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Cost of Prevention
Cost of Prevention

• Not having a gun in the house 0
• Trigger locks for guns 10
• Lockable cabinet 30 -50
• Home firearm safety training 50-100
• Fire-resistant safe 1500
• Preventing a child death . . . Priceless

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Firearm Injuries are Preventable
Firearm Injuries Are Preventable
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Firearm Safety Tips
Keep Children Safe

• Parents and gun manufacturers need to
• take responsibility for safety.
• Research shows that telling children not to
• touch guns does not work.

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Firearm Safety Tips
Firearm Safety Tips

• Dont buy a gun unless you know how to use it
  safely.
• Store it unloaded and locked up.
• Lock it out of childrens reach.
• Lock up ammunition separately from the gun.
• Keep trigger locks on your guns for extra
  prevention, or disassemble your gun completely.

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For Further Information
Gun Buyback Programs

• Raise awareness about gun violence
• Demonstrate the need for home gun safety

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For Further Information
For Further Information

• Contact
• American Academy of Pediatrics at
  http//www.aap.org
• American Academy of Child and Adolescent
  Psychiatry at http//www.aacap.org

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References
References
For Further Information

• Center to Prevent Handgun Violence. Children
  guns a lethal combination. Washington The
  Center 2000.
• American Academy of Pediatrics, www.aap.org.
• 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 1999153 586-90.
• Cummings P, Grossman DC, Rivara FP, Koepsell TD.
  State gun storage laws and child mortality due to
  firearms. JAMA 19972781084-6.
• American Academy of Child and Adolescent
  Psychiatry, www.aacap.org/info_families/NationalFa
  cts/coGunViol.htm.
• Harruff RC. So-called accidental firearm
  fatalities in children and teenagers in
  Tennessee, 1961-1988. Am J Forensic Med Pathol
  199213290-8.
• Effectiveness in disease and injury prevention
  deaths resulting from firearm- and
  motor-vehicle-related injuries-United States,
  1968-1991. MMWR Morbid Mortal Wkly Rep
  19944337-42.
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