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Children and Firearms in the Home: A Southwestern Ohio Ambulatory Research Network (SOAR-Net) Study

Department of Pediatrics, Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, Dayton, OH (SGF, SMM, AS, JMP)
Performance Pediatrics, Plymouth, MA (TRM)
Community Health, Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, Dayton, OH (CAS)

Correspondence: Corresponding author: Shalini G. Forbis, MD, MPH, Medical Education, One Children's Plaza, Dayton, OH 45404 (E-mail: shalini.forbis{at}wright.edu)

Background: To ascertain the prevalence of gun ownership, gun safety education, and parental attitudes on gun counseling in a Midwestern sample.

Methods: Parents seeking care at participating practices in the Southwestern Ohio Ambulatory Research Network were recruited to complete a survey about gun ownership, gun safety education, and gun counseling attitudes. Attitudes and beliefs were compared between gun owners and non-gun owners.

Results: Twenty-four percent of respondents had at least 1 gun in the home. Military families were more likely to own a gun than civilian families (28% vs 18%, P = .001). Fifty-two percent of sample children have received gun safety education. Eight percent indicated that a physician had asked about guns or discussed gun safety issues during an office visit. A majority of parents indicated that physicians should ask about guns in the home (69%) and advise parents on safe storage (75%), but they should not advise parents to remove guns from the home (12% of gun owners, 42% of non-gun owners).

Conclusions: Despite the morbidity and mortality associated with guns, physicians in this study do not seem to be addressing this risk with families. A majority of gun owners do not agree that physicians should counsel the removal of guns from the home but agree that they should discuss safe gun storage information.