Citation

Kirkland D. J. Emerg. Nurs. 2005; 31(1): 21-22.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2005, Emergency Nurses Association, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jen.2004.07.067

PMID

15682116

Abstract

In the United States, approximately 18,000 children younger than 15 years are treated annually in emergency departments for unintentional firearm-related injuries. There is little debate that children and guns are a deadly combination. This purpose of this project was to adults and children about firearm safety through multiple outlets in 3 distinct demographic areas: urban, suburban, and rural. The motivation to develop this program began after a tragic incident involving a friend and subsequently learning that gun locks are available at no charge. After gathering information on gun locks and gun safety, the hospital administrators were approached about launching its own gun lock program. Firearm safety information and free gun locks were made available at a local hospital. Other sponsored events included open houses at fire stations, poster presentations at community affairs, PTA meetings, and question and answer sessions at school functions. These programs provided information on gun safety and responsible ownership and distributed free gun locks to participants. Attendance was approximately 55 people per event. Promotion of the program was done by 'word-of-mouth' advertising along with coverage by the local media. This is a grassroots/hands-on program. The evaluation tool is a simple written survey given to participants both before and after the program presentation. Questions pertained to basic safety, comfort with application of the lock, and appropriate reaction when unexpectedly encountered with a gun. Telephone surveys were conducted 6 months after the presentation to gauge retention of the principles learned. Of 120 participants contacted for the 6-month follow-up, 50% continue to use their gun locks, 15% were not using the lock (citing having to keep the firearm unloaded as an inconvenience), 30% used the locks most of the time, and 5% had no response. Many caregivers, especially ED nurses, struggle to find ways to combat preventable firearm injuries.  Continuing to mentor peers to expand the interest in gun safety is a key goal. It is equally important to collaborate with other businesses to disseminate gun safety information to a larger audience. Public service announcements and articles in neighborhood/family sections of area newspapers also can be utilized. Establishing more gun lock distribution points and firearm safety information throughout the community also must be done.