Most firearms in unintentional child deaths left loaded, unlocked
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Key takeaways:
- Around two-thirds of unintentional firearm deaths in children occurred when the shooter played with or showed the firearm to others.
- Approximately half of unintentional firearm injuries in children are inflicted by others.
Most firearms used in unintentional firearm deaths among children in the United States are stored loaded and unlocked, and deaths most often occur when a shooter is playing with or showing a firearm to someone else, CDC data show.
Unintentional firearm injuries to children are inflicted by others 53% of the time, according to findings published in MMWR.
Last year, the AAP recommended that firearms — which remain the leading cause of death among children and young adults in the U.S. — be regulated on the level of motor vehicles, with requirements for training, licensing, insurance coverage and registration.
“Unintentional injury is the fourth leading cause of death among infants and is the top cause of death among children and adolescents aged 1 to 17 years; firearms are a leading injury method,” the authors of the new study wrote.
“Most unintentional firearm injuries among children occur within the home, with firearms predominantly originating in the child’s home,” they wrote. “In 2021, approximately 30 million children lived in homes with firearms, including 4.6 million in households reporting storing firearms loaded and unlocked.”
The researchers studied data from the National Violent Death Reporting System on 1,262 fatal unintentional firearm injury cases that occurred from 2003 to 2021 and found that around 67% of unintentional firearm injury deaths among children and adolescents occurred when the shooter was playing with the firearm or showing the firearm to others. Additionally, firearms used in unintentional firearm injury deaths among children and adolescents were often stored both loaded (74%) and unlocked (76%).
Unlocked firearms were most commonly accessed from a nightstand or other sleeping areas (30%).
Unintentional firearm injury deaths among children and adolescents are preventable, and
putting a firearm out of sight or out of reach is not safe storage and is not enough to prevent use by children and adolescents, the researchers said.
“Policymakers, health care professionals (including pediatricians), and others can partner with parents, caregivers, and firearm owners to better understand and address barriers to adoption of secure firearm storage practices,” they wrote.
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