Firearm Screening and Gun Lock Distribution in an Urban, Academic Pediatric Emergency Department.

Abstract

Objectives: To examine firearm access and storage practices among parents/guardians of pediatric emergency department (PED) patients, and to determine whether the distribution of gun locks impacts overall storage practices.

Materials and methods: This was a single-center, prospective observational cohort study in an urban, academic PED with ∼50,000 annual patient visits. From October 2021 through April 2022, parents/guardians of pediatric patients received a firearm triage survey and were offered gun locks. Participants who received locks were contacted for a follow-up phone survey one to two months later.

Results: Among the 11,771 parents/guardians who completed the triage survey, 17% reported access to a firearm, 70% reported safe storage methods (firearm locked and unloaded), and 16% requested a gun lock. Among the 257 participants who received a gun lock and completed the follow-up survey, 69% reported using the lock. When comparing the triage survey to the follow-up call survey, access to firearms remained constant (88% triage vs 89% follow-up; P = 0.76), as did keeping the firearm unloaded (76% triage vs 79% follow-up; P = 0.10). However, there was an increase in the use of overall locked storage methods ( P < 0.001) as the use of multiple locked storage methods increased from 11% at triage to 59% at follow-up. The absence of locked storage methods decreased from 12% to 3%.

Conclusions: Firearm screening and gun lock distribution in a PED can contribute to the increased use of safe storage practices in this patient cohort.