Posted on 06/04/2007 4:16:48 AM PDT by Pharmboy
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Few families store their firearms safely, according to a pediatric researcher at Brenner Children's Hospital, part of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. Robert H. DuRant, Ph.D., and his colleagues' research study results are published in the June issue of Pediatrics.
"Over 70 percent of the families surveyed reported not storing their firearms safely in their residence," DuRant said. "This concerns us a great deal because having guns in the home increases the likelihood that they will be used in a suicide or unintentional injury. It's imperative that parents understand the necessity of storing guns safely in the home."
Storage patterns are most influenced by firearm type, family socialization with guns and the age of the child, DuRant said.
"Our research shows that unsafe gun storage is associated with families who were raised with guns in the home," he said. "They tend to be more comfortable with guns and are less likely to store them safely. We also found that families who had children aged 2 to 5 years and owned long guns were more likely to store guns safely than families with older children."
"Our primary recommendation is that parents should remove guns from the home," DuRant said. "However, if parents are unwilling to do that, they should lock all guns with gun locks and store them separately from ammunition."
Firearm ownership was highest in families with two adults in the home, according to the study. Families in rural areas are more likely to own long guns and families who own long guns only are more likely to store guns unlocked but store ammunition separately from guns. Families who owned hand guns were more likely to store the guns locked but to have the guns loaded.
"We are encouraging all pediatricians to talk with parents about safe gun storage practices," he said. "We want to prevent unnecessary deaths."
DuRant and colleagues administered the survey to 3,745 parents in 96 pediatric offices in 45 states, Puerto Rico and Canada. The offices were part of the Pediatric Research in Office Settings group. The survey measured family history of guns in the house, firearm types, storage behaviors and ownership.
### In addition to DuRant, Shari Barkin, M.D., Edward H. Ip, Ph.D., from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center; Joseph A. Craig, M.D. from Rocky Mountain Youth Clinics in Denver, Colorado, Victoria A. Weiley, M.I.S., from the American Academy of Pediatrics and Richard C. Wasserman, M.D., M.P.H., from the University of Vermont, also participated in the study.
The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Media Contacts: Rae Bush, rbush@wfubmc.edu, or Karen Richardson, krchrdsn@wfubmc.edu, at (336) 716-4587.
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center is an academic health system comprised of North Carolina Baptist Hospital, Wake Forest University Health Sciences and Brenner Children's Hospital. The system comprises 1,238 acute care, rehabilitation, psychiatry and long-term care beds and is consistently ranked as one of "America's Best Hospitals" by U.S. News & World Report.
I’d start giving his patients medical advice in his waiting room. After all, you’d be as qualified to give medical advice as he is to give firearms advice.
Good info, thanks! :)
I have mine in a safe, but access it only rarely, so I don't have the combo memorized. I have it on a piece of paper, though.
Safe storage from the average 3-year-old.
I have found physicians in general to be big time boundary violators. When they get the power of the government (A la national healthcare) behind them, they'll be really scary!.
If they ever erect a monument to irony, that would be the headliner.
They would have to carve a mountain for the trophy.
dihydrogen monoxide kills more people that any weapon
Also a major contributor to the "War on Drugs". It amazes me that there are still some freepers who are too stubborn to make the connection.
They are your favorite, aren’t they? LOL!
I’m jealous!
You should keep your guns, especially now that you have a wife and child to protect.
And on alcohol, and smokers, the list goes on and on.
It amazes me that there are still some freepers who are too stubborn to make the connection.
It amazes me how many freepers not only don't see the connection, but support what RWJF does, on all of the issues.
The Second Amendment Sisters used to have a *.pdf brochure on dealing with pediatricians on this issue. I helped them clean it up a little (mostly formatting), early last year. I just looked, and can’t find it on their site. I’ve got a version here, but it’s not hosted.
I’ve pinged one of the SAS people.
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
Thanks for the advice.
Several years ago, I did have a survey by my PCP. I did not storm out. I just wrote "Suck" for a response.
I like my doctor. It was some HMO drone's, or some (spit) sociologist or activist somewhere in the bureaucratic chain's idea to have that question on there.
When somebody says, “None of your business,” I bet they put him down under the ‘No safe storage’ category.
I would wager the farm, that far more children (even NOT counting abortion) have died from doctors screw-ups , than from fire-arms, but of course we wouldn’t want to discuss that fact now would we?
Leaving the blade dull was the rule but it was open to interpretation of what dull meant...lol
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.