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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Jon S. Vernick, JD, MPH, Center for Gun Policy and Research, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Sch of Public Health, 624 North Broadway, Hampton House, Room 593, Baltimore, MD 21205-1996, 410-955-7982, jvernick@jhsph.edu, Mallory O'Brien, PhD, School of Public Health, Harvard University, 2501 E. Menlo Boulevard, Shorewood, WI 53211, Lisa M. Hepburn, PhD, MPH, Harvard Injury Control Research Center, Harvard University, 617 Huntington Avenue, Room 318, Boston, MA 02115, and Sara B. Johnson, MPH, School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, 624 N. Broadway, Room 580, Baltimore, MD 21205.
Background: We estimate the proportion of certain firearm-related deaths that might be prevented by each of three firearm safety devices. Personalized or "smart" guns are firearms that will only fire for an authorized user. A loaded chamber indicator indicates if the gun's firing chamber contains ammunition. A magazine safety prevents a pistol from being fired when its ammunition magazine is removed.
Methods: We examined all firearm-related unintentional and undetermined deaths occurring in Maryland and Milwaukee County from 1991-98. We also included certain negligent "homicides" whose circumstances indicated an unintentional death. We abstracted information about the victim, shooter, weapon, and circumstances. In addition, we employed a set of criteria to assess whether each death was preventable by any of the 3 safety devices.
Results: There were 117 firearm-related deaths in our sample for 1991-1998. Pistols (36%) and revolvers (39%) made up 3/4 of the firearms involved. Approximately 20% of the deaths fit our criteria for "probably" preventable by a loaded chamber indicator, 4% by a magazine safety, and 37% by a personalized gun. Deaths which are preventable were 4.9 times more likely to involve a decedent age 0-17 (95% C.I., 2.1-11.6), and 2.9 times more likely to involve playing with a gun (95% C.I. 1.6-5.4).
Implications: Our data can be used to more accurately assess the benefit side of the risk-benefit equation for these firearm safety devices. They are also important for ongoing efforts encouraging firearm manufacturers to make safer products.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Firearms, Injury Prevention
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.