"Love our kids, lock your guns": a community-based firearm safety counseling and gun lock distribution program.
BACKGROUND
Safer storage practices may reduce injury rates by limiting youth access to firearms.


OBJECTIVE
To determine if a firearm safety counseling and gun lock distribution program improved storage practices.


METHODS
Community-based before-after trial.


METHODS
Urban county in central North Carolina.


METHODS
One hundred twelve adult gun owners recruited through a mass media advertising campaign.


METHODS
In the parking lot of a shopping mall, participants completed a survey, and were then provided with tailored counseling, gun safety information, a gun lock, and instructions to use it.


METHODS
Firearm storage practices, assessed by survey and personal interview (baseline) and telephone interview (6-month follow-up).


RESULTS
Most participants were white (62%), men (63%), had children (58%), and owned a gun for protection (74%). At follow-up, of the 82 participants, 63 (77%) (up from 39 [48%]) reported storing their gun(s) in a locked compartment (P =.004), 59 (72%) (up from 0) reported using gun locks (P =.001), 61 (74%) (up from 57 [69%]) reported storing their ammunition locked in a separate location, 59 (72%) (up from 52 [63%]) reported storing their gun(s) unloaded, and 6 (7%) (down from 15 [18%]) reported storing firearms unlocked and loaded. Participants with children were more likely at baseline to store weapons unlocked and loaded (38 [59%] vs 19 [41%]; P =.02) but were more likely after counseling to lock their weapons (29 [58%] vs 14 [44%]) and remove guns from the home (5 [10%] vs 0 [0%]).


CONCLUSIONS
This program prompted reporting of safer firearm storage practices, particularly among parents. Longer follow-up, verification of self-reports and correct use, testing of gun locks, and monitoring firearm injury rates after distribution programs are needed to establish the public health potential of this approach.
Coyne-Beasley
T
T
Department of Pediatrics and Internal Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Campus Box 7225, Wing C, Medical School, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7225, USA. coybea@med.unc.edu
Schoenbach
V J
VJ
Johnson
R M
RM
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003376:Counseling; D005260:Female; D005389:Firearms; D006266:Health Education / Q000458:organization & administration*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006285:Health Planning; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008402:Mass Media; D008875:Middle Aged; D009657:North Carolina; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012307:Risk Factors; D012449:Safety; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014504:Urban Health; D014948:Wounds, Gunshot / Q000517:prevention & control*