Caregivers Asking About Firearms in Homes Their Children Visit.

Firearm injuries are the leading cause of death among U.S children and teens.(1) Decreasing firearm access by storing firearms locked and unloaded has the potential to decrease deaths in this population,(2) thus clinical, community, and policy initiatives have focused on improving home firearm storage.(3-10) However, the risk to children and teens extends beyond their own homes - studies of unintentional injuries in this age group report 19-44% of injuries and fatalities occur at the house of a friend or other residence.(11,12) According to data from the National Violent Death Reporting from 2003-2021, firearms used in unintentional injury deaths were predominantly stored loaded (74%) and unlocked (76%) and most commonly were accessed from nightstands and other sleeping areas (30%).(13) Consequently, in addition to improving firearm storage behaviors within households where children and teens live, recent efforts encourage caregivers to consider firearms in homes that they visit. (14-16) Asking about firearms and their storage in homes where children and teens spend time allows caregivers to assess and mitigate the potential risk of their child accessing a firearm within another household. Understanding the epidemiology and correlates of caregiver asking behaviors may inform efforts to promote this risk-mitigating behavior.