Firearm safe storage practices among firearm owners in rural and urban households.

IF 2.4 3区医学 Q2 PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

Injury Epidemiology Pub Date : 2025-06-13 DOI:10.1186/s40621-025-00587-9

Yi-Fang Lu, Victor A Soupene

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background: Safe firearm storage may reduce suicide and unintentional firearm injuries. However, little is known about safe storage practices in rural US populations. We aimed to examine the association between living in a rural US area and firearm storage practices.

Methods: We used data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), 2021-2023 to compare firearm storage practices between rural and urban populations. The primary outcomes were whether firearms were stored loaded, and among loaded firearms, whether they were stored unlocked. Those living in a rural residence were compared to those living in an urban residence. Descriptive statistics for firearm storage practices were compared between living in rural or urban areas. Unadjusted and adjusted relative risks (with 95% confidence intervals) were calculated using Poisson regression models with robust standard errors.

Results: One third of rural (34.71%) and urban (34.33%) firearm-owning households stored at least one firearm loaded. Of these households with loaded firearm(s), 58.55% of rural respondents stored their firearms unlocked compared to 50.66% of urban respondents. Compared to the urban sample, rural respondents were older adults (51.41% vs. 43.91% ≥ the age of 55), non-Hispanic White (83.12% vs. 72.45%), and were high school graduates or less (48.33% vs. 34.77%). While rural respondents were equally likely as urban respondents to store firearms loaded (ARR = 1.00, CI = [0.93-1.06]), they were more likely to store loaded firearms unlocked (ARR = 1.11, CI = [1.03-1.19]).

Conclusions: Additional support for providing firearm storage options, such as firearm safety locks, may promote safer firearm storage practices in rural populations. Future research should explore culturally appropriate interventions tailored to the specific needs of individuals living in the rural US.

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城乡家庭持枪者的枪支安全存放做法。

背景：安全的枪支储存可以减少自杀和意外的枪支伤害。然而，人们对美国农村人口的安全储存方法知之甚少。我们的目的是研究生活在美国农村地区和枪支储存实践之间的关系。方法：我们使用行为风险因素监测系统（BRFSS） 2021-2023年的数据，比较农村和城市人口的枪支储存做法。主要结果是枪支是否上膛储存，以及在上膛的枪支中，它们是否未上锁储存。研究人员将农村居民与城市居民进行了比较。对居住在农村或城市地区的人的枪支储存做法进行了描述性统计比较。使用具有稳健标准误差的泊松回归模型计算未调整和调整的相对风险（95%置信区间）。结果：三分之一的农村（34.71%）和城市（34.33%）拥有枪支的家庭至少有一支上膛的枪支。在这些有上膛枪支的家庭中，58.55%的农村受访者不上锁，而城市受访者的这一比例为50.66%。与城市样本相比，农村受访者年龄较大（51.41% vs. 43.91%≥55岁），非西班牙裔白人（83.12% vs. 72.45%），高中毕业以下（48.33% vs. 34.77%）。虽然农村受访者与城市受访者一样有可能储存上膛的枪支（ARR = 1.00, CI =[0.93-1.06]），但他们更有可能储存上膛的枪支（ARR = 1.11, CI =[1.03-1.19]）。结论：额外支持提供枪支储存选择，如枪支安全锁，可以促进农村人口更安全的枪支储存做法。未来的研究应该探索适合美国农村居民特殊需求的文化干预措施。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Injury Epidemiology Medicine-Medicine (all)

CiteScore

3.20

自引率

4.50%

发文量

审稿时长

13 weeks

期刊介绍： Injury Epidemiology is dedicated to advancing the scientific foundation for injury prevention and control through timely publication and dissemination of peer-reviewed research. Injury Epidemiology aims to be the premier venue for communicating epidemiologic studies of unintentional and intentional injuries, including, but not limited to, morbidity and mortality from motor vehicle crashes, drug overdose/poisoning, falls, drowning, fires/burns, iatrogenic injury, suicide, homicide, assaults, and abuse. We welcome investigations designed to understand the magnitude, distribution, determinants, causes, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, prognosis, and outcomes of injuries in specific population groups, geographic regions, and environmental settings (e.g., home, workplace, transport, recreation, sports, and urban/rural). Injury Epidemiology has a special focus on studies generating objective and practical knowledge that can be translated into interventions to reduce injury morbidity and mortality on a population level. Priority consideration will be given to manuscripts that feature contemporary theories and concepts, innovative methods, and novel techniques as applied to injury surveillance, risk assessment, development and implementation of effective interventions, and program and policy evaluation.