1. Firearm Safety
Firearm Safety
Michael P. Hirsh, M.D., FAACP.

2. 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.

3. 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 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.

4. Epidemiology Continued
Epidemiology Cont’d
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.

5. Firearm Facts in Children
Firearm Exposure in Children
Firearm Facts in Children
Children watch an average of 45 violent acts on TV each day.
Playing with toy guns may contribute to unintentional shootings.

6. 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 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.

7. 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

8. Firearm Injuries are Preventable

9. Keep Children Safe Firearm Safety Tips
Parents and gun manufacturers need to
take responsibility for safety.
Research shows that telling children not to
touch guns does not work.

10. Firearm Safety Tips Firearm Safety Tips
Don’t buy a gun unless you know how to use it safely.
Store it unloaded and locked up.
Lock it out of children’s reach.
Lock up ammunition separately from the gun.
Keep trigger locks on your guns for extra prevention, or disassemble your gun completely.

11. For Further Information
Gun Buyback Programs
For Further Information
Raise awareness about gun violence
Demonstrate the need for home gun safety

12. For Further Information
Contact:
American Academy of Pediatrics at
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at

13. For Further Information
References
For Further Information
References
Center to Prevent Handgun Violence. Children & guns: a lethal combination. Washington: The Center; 2000.
American Academy of Pediatrics,
Stennies G, Ikeda R, Leadbetter S, Houston B, Sacks J. Firearm storage practices and children in the home, United States, Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 1999;153:
Cummings P, Grossman DC, Rivara FP, Koepsell TD. State gun storage laws and child mortality due to firearms. JAMA 1997;278:
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry,
Harruff RC. So-called accidental firearm fatalities in children and teenagers in Tennessee, Am J Forensic Med Pathol 1992;13:290-8.
Effectiveness in disease and injury prevention: deaths resulting from firearm- and motor-vehicle-related injuries-United States, MMWR Morbid Mortal Wkly Rep 1994;43:37-42.