Healthcare and Medical News for Atlanta Physicians

Gun Violence, The #1 cause of Death in Children-It’s Entirely Preventable

By Kiesha Fraser Doh

child reaching for gun in unlocked drawerHow physicians can partner with the community to prevent pediatric firearm injuries.

In 2021, there were 436 emergency department visits for unintentional shootings involving children and teens in Georgia1.  In 2022 thus far, 24 children gained access to a gun and unintentionally shot themselves or someone else.2 The youngest child was two years old when she shot and killed herself with a loaded gun that was not stored safely.2,3 Tragically, in January 2023, a 17 y/o unintentionally shot and killed his 13 y/o sister in Louisville, GA. What is most tragic is that unlike many conditions we treat in pediatrics firearm injuries are entirely preventable.

In 2020, there was an increase in firearm injuries and deaths of children nationwide. During the first six months, there was a 1.9 times increased risk of firearm injury in children under 12 and an 1.4 times increased risk of children under 12 shooting someone else with a gun compared to pre-COVID period.4

There are numerous ways to secure firearms safely by utilizing cable locks, trigger locks, lockboxes, and gun safes. Public policy that encourages gun owners to secure their weapons could potentially reduce the impact of this injury, similar to the impact that child passenger restraint laws have had on our society.  In 1975, many kids died in motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) due to inadequate and less sophisticated car design and lack of child and passenger restraints. Since 1975, the rate of pediatric passenger motor vehicle deaths has decreased by 56%. 4

In the early 1980s, only 14% of American adults used seat belts,5 and only 7% of American children were restrained in seat belts or car seats.6 Starting in the ’70s and ‘80s, numerous public safety campaigns promoted car restraints, and the National Highway Transportation Association pushed for improved car design. Since the first child restraint law was enacted in our neighboring state of Tennessee in 1985, child restraint laws have been enacted in all 50 states and DC; these laws have encouraged parents to restrain 90% of children nationwide.7 In fact, since the passage of Georgia’s seat belt restraint law, 97% of Georgians now wear a seat belt.8

Since 1963 the child and teen firearm fatality rate has increased by 72%.9 From March-December 2020, there was a 30% increase in unintended shooting deaths by kids.10 Forty of children in the US live in homes with guns,11 and 85% of fatal pediatric firearm deaths in children 12 and under occur in their own homes.12 In addition, a recent survey in Georgia found that 53% of parents report storing their firearms insecurely: unlocked, loaded, or not separate from ammunition.13

Fourteen states plus the District of Columbia have laws that make it illegal to store your firearm negligently these laws are called-Child Access Prevention-(CAP laws).14  Just 4 of those states require some or all guns to be locked up, and only one state, Massachusetts, requires all firearms to be locked up. CAP laws that require gun owners to store their firearms safely have been shown to reduce suicide and unintentional death and injury by up to 54%. 15 In addition, the CAP law in Massachusetts has potentially impacted the number of children killed by guns; for example: in 2020, 209 children and teens (1-19) died from firearm injuries in Georgia, while Massachusetts had 21 deaths. 16Georgia’s CAP law is considered a negligence law as it states that it’s illegal to knowingly give a gun to a minor for an unlawful purpose but Ga has no law that makes it illegal for gun owners to store their firearms insecurely.17

Motor vehicle collisions used to be the number one cause of death in children and teens, but now firearms injury has surpassed MVCs as the leading cause of death. By utilizing similar injury prevention approaches to those that enabled us to reduce the frequency of MVCs as a preventable cause of death in children and teens, we can reduce the rate of firearm injury. Medical organizations, public health agencies, gun owners’ associations, and public safety personnel all support safe firearm storage practices in homes with children and youth

What can healthcare workers and Georgians do?

   We can lead by example: securely storing firearms unloaded, locked up, and separate from ammunition.

   We can talk to children and teens in our lives about the dangers of unsecured firearms and what steps to take if they find an unsecured firearm: “STOP! Don’t touch. Leave the area. Tell an Adult.”  

   We can ask if any firearms in the home are stored, unloaded, and locked before sending our child to someone else’s home.

   We can have respectful, informed conversations with patients, parents, and caregivers about the risk of unsecured firearms and how to reduce that risk.

   We can work collaboratively with lawmakers and stakeholders to craft thoughtful, evidenced-based CAP laws.

   We can partner with community partners, families, and gun owners to advocate for safe gun storage in our communities.

Georgia Stay SAFE!

Georgia Stay SAFE is a coalition of healthcare workers involved in injury prevention who formed a partnership based on our shared interest in promoting the prevention of firearm injuries in children. Georgia Stay SAFE campaign week is from June 19th-June 23rd.

Georgia Stays SAFE stands for:

  1. Secure Firearm Storage 
  1. Ask Before Play
  1. Focus on Safety
  1. End Firearm Injury

References

  1. OASIS | GA DPH | OHIP. Accessed January 19, 2021. https://oasis.state.ga.us/
  2. #NotAnAccident Index | Everytown Research & Policy | Everytown Research & Policy. Accessed July 4, 2021. https://everytownresearch.org/maps/notanaccident/
  3. Savannah: Teen charged with murder in deadly shooting of toddler. Accessed December 25, 2022. https://www.wjcl.com/article/savannah-toddler-murder-lauren-barton-shooting/41590695
  4. MVC Fatality. Accessed December 25, 2022. https://www.iihs.org/topics/fatality-statistics/detail/children#fn3
  5. How States Achieve High Seat Belt Use Rates. Published online 2008.
  6. Despite Infant Death Toll, Use of Car Seats Lags – The Washington Post. Accessed December 25, 2022. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1980/04/15/despite-infant-death-toll-use-of-car-seats-lags/f1e5f79c-7541-45dc-b5d1-790edcede706/
  7. The 2017 National Survey of the Use of Booster Seats. Published online 2018. Accessed December 25, 2022. www.nhtsa.gov.
  8. Highway Traffic Safety Administration N, Department of Transportation U. TRAFFIC SAFETY FACTS Crash • Stats Seat Belt Use in 2020-Use Rates in the States and Territories. Published online 2020. Accessed December 25, 2022. https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/
  9. PROTECT CHILDREN. Published online 2019.
  10. Gun Violence and COVID-19 in 2020: A Year of Colliding Crises | Everytown Research & Policy. Accessed December 25, 2022. https://everytownresearch.org/report/gun-violence-and-covid-19-in-2020-a-year-of-colliding-crises/
  11. Miller M, Azrael D. Firearm Storage in US Households With Children: Findings From the 2021 National Firearm Survey. JAMA Netw Open. 2022;5(2):e2148823-e2148823. doi:10.1001/JAMANETWORKOPEN.2021.48823
  12. Fowler KA, Dahlberg LL, Haileyesus T, Gutierrez C, Bacon S. Childhood Firearm Injuries in the United States. Vol 140.; 2017. Accessed January 21, 2021. www.aappublications.org/news
  13. Doh KF, Morris CR, Akbar T, et al. The Relationship Between Parents’ Reported Storage of Firearms and Their Children’s Perceived Access to Firearms: A Safety Disconnect. https://doi.org/101177/0009922820944398. 2020;60(1):42-49. doi:10.1177/0009922820944398
  14. Safe Storage of Firearms. Accessed December 27, 2022. https://www.aap.org/en/advocacy/state-advocacy/safe-storage-of-firearms/
  15. Safe Storage in Georgia | Giffords. Accessed January 19, 2021. https://giffords.org/lawcenter/state-laws/safe-storage-in-georgia/
  16. WISQARS (Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System)|Injury Center|CDC. Accessed December 25, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/index.html
  17. Furnishing Pistol or Revolver to a Person Under the Age of 18 | Georgia Criminal Lawyer. Accessed December 25, 2022. https://www.georgiacriminallawyer.com/furnishing-pistol-or-revolver-to-a-person-under-the-age-of-18

Share
Malcare WordPress Security