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The association of handgun ownership and storage practices with safety consciousness.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Coyne-Beasley, T; McGee, KS; Johnson, RM; Bordley, WC
Published in: Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med
August 2002

BACKGROUND: As with other injury prevention practices, education about safe firearm storage is recommended to prevent injuries to children. OBJECTIVE: To assess whether parents who are safety conscious in other respects also practice firearm safety. METHODS: Data come from responses to a baseline survey administered as part of an intervention study. Participants were consenting adults who brought a child into an emergency department. These analyses were restricted to those parents who had young children (<7 years) and who kept a firearm in their house. A safety consciousness score was developed; participants earned a point for each of 7 home and car safety behaviors they reported practicing. The relationship between safety consciousness with handgun ownership and firearm storage practices was assessed with Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test. RESULTS: Of the 221 participants, most reported that they keep poisonous substances out of children's reach (92%), always keep children restrained when in cars (90%), have the telephone number for a poison control center (82%), change smoke alarm batteries annually (73%), keep electrical outlets capped (72%), and keep their tap water temperature at 120 degrees F (49 degrees C) or less (65%). Only 22% reported checking smoke alarm batteries monthly. The median safety score was 4 (mean [SD], 3.99 [1.4]). Fifty-six percent said there was a handgun in their home, 27% reported an unlocked gun, 20% reported a loaded gun, and 7% reported a loaded and unlocked gun. Results were not consistent with safety consciousness being associated with safe firearm storage practices or the absence of a handgun. CONCLUSION: Compliance with safety practices may not be associated with safe firearm storage.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med

DOI

ISSN

1072-4710

Publication Date

August 2002

Volume

156

Issue

8

Start / End Page

763 / 768

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Wounds, Gunshot
  • United States
  • Statistics, Nonparametric
  • Safety
  • Pediatrics
  • Middle Aged
  • Male
  • Infant
  • Humans
  • Household Work
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
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Coyne-Beasley, T., McGee, K. S., Johnson, R. M., & Bordley, W. C. (2002). The association of handgun ownership and storage practices with safety consciousness. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, 156(8), 763–768. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpedi.156.8.763
Coyne-Beasley, Tamera, Kara S. McGee, Renee M. Johnson, and W Clayton Bordley. “The association of handgun ownership and storage practices with safety consciousness.Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 156, no. 8 (August 2002): 763–68. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpedi.156.8.763.
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 Aug;156(8):763–8.
Coyne-Beasley, Tamera, et al. “The association of handgun ownership and storage practices with safety consciousness.Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, vol. 156, no. 8, Aug. 2002, pp. 763–68. Pubmed, doi:10.1001/archpedi.156.8.763.
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 Aug;156(8):763–768.

Published In

Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med

DOI

ISSN

1072-4710

Publication Date

August 2002

Volume

156

Issue

8

Start / End Page

763 / 768

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Wounds, Gunshot
  • United States
  • Statistics, Nonparametric
  • Safety
  • Pediatrics
  • Middle Aged
  • Male
  • Infant
  • Humans
  • Household Work