Children and Firearms: A Gunshot Injury Prevention Program in New Mexico.

VioLit summary: OBJECTIVE: The intent of this article by Becker et al. was to review a gunshot injury prevention program, geared especially toward child injuries, implemented in New Mexico for four months during late 1990. METHODOLOGY: The authors implemented a non-experimental design which reviewed the history of gunshot injuries in New Mexico, identified the major elements in their $13,000 gunshot injury prevention program and identified their plans for continuing the program. FINDINGS/DISCUSION: A recent report indicated that in New Mexico during a 5 year period, 25 children aged 1-15 years were killed, with another 200 nonfatally injured due to unintentional gunshot wounds. The authors therefore implemented a statewide childhood gun safety program with the public health goal of reducing the availability of loaded guns at home. The program contained three basic components. First, the authors produced public service announcements in Spanish and English and aired them during prime time television and on the radio. In addition they obtained statewide newspaper coverage on the topic of gun safety. Second, they increased awareness of health care professionals and patients by providing information to pediatricians, family doctors, general practitioners and children's health clinics. Brochures in Spanish and English were also sent to these health care professionals for distribution among their patients. Third, the Young Hunters education program in New Mexico's Department of Game and Fish assisted by distributing information to over 5,000 teenaged hunters, and posters were displayed by the New Mexico Shooters Association and many gun stores. To monitor the progress of the program the State of New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator would assess the firearm deaths among children for five years (presumably beginning in 1993), the database of the statewide trauma registry would be monitored, and calculations would be based on denominators collected by the US Census. To continue the program the existing efforts would be incorporated, the authors said, into the Indian Health Service injury prevention program. Guns sold would be tagged with safety messages, and a statewide gun coalition would be formed comprising the National Rifle Association, pediatricians, emergency medical professionals, parents, and injury control officers. AUTHORS' RECOMMENDATIONS: The authors encouraged all health care professionals to become involved in gun safety counseling, education programs and legislative efforts geared toward reducing the number of loaded firearms in the home. They also suggested that cooperative efforts be organized on the state or regional level. (CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado) KW - New Mexico KW - Firearms Injury KW - Firearms Violence KW - Child Injury KW - Child Safety KW - Child Victim KW - Injury Prevention KW - Violence Prevention KW - Prevention Program KW - Firearms Safety KW - Safety Promotion KW - Safety Program KW - Juvenile Injury KW - Juvenile Safety KW - Juvenile Victim KW - Juvenile Violence KW - Child Violence KW - Victimization Prevention