Public opinion about guns in the home.
OBJECTIVE
(1) Determine the frequency of gun ownership, acquisition, and transfer; (2) assess gun storage practices; and (3) compare the views of firearm owning and non-owning adults regarding the protective value of keeping a gun in the home.


METHODS
Over three different time periods (1995, 1996, and 1999) stratified, random digit telephone surveys were conducted in a five county area of metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia. Five hundred adults (aged 21+ years) responded to each survey.


RESULTS
The proportion of Atlanta area households reporting firearm ownership was generally stable over this interval (38%, 40%, and 35% respectively). The percentage of gun owning households containing a handgun (approximately 75%) was stable as well. In 1995, more than half of gun owning households kept one or more guns unlocked; since that time, the trend has been gradually downward. In 1995, 44% of gun owning respondents kept one or more guns loaded, compared with 38% in 1996 and 40% in 1999. A majority of respondents to all three surveys (55%) agreed with the statement "A home with a gun is less secure than a home without a gun, because a gun can be involved in an accidental shooting, suicide or family homicide". Among five home security measures, respondents rated a burglar alarm most effective, and keeping a gun in the home least effective.


CONCLUSIONS
In Atlanta, many households keep a firearm for protection, but they are ambivalent about the associated risks. These findings suggest that education about gun safety should include a discussion of the risks of unsafe storage, and non-lethal alternatives for home security.
Kellermann
A L
AL
Emory Center for Injury Control, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA. akell01@sph.emory.edu
Fuqua-Whitley
D S
DS
Sampson
T R
TR
Lindenmann
W
W
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D004522:Educational Status; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005389:Firearms / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005845:Georgia; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006798:Housing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010067:Ownership / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D011639:Public Opinion; D012307:Risk Factors; D017751:Safety Management / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012637:Security Measures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population