142 - Assessing Firearm Ownership and Storage Patterns at a Level 1 Trauma Center in Houston, Texas

Friday, April 28, 2023

5:15 PM – 7:15 PM ET

Poster Number: 142
Publication Number: 142.121

Allison Petronzio, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, Houston, TX, United States; Hei Kit Chan, McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, United States; Neomi Sepulveda, McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, United States; Rachel Boren, McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, United States; gillian evans, Baylor College of Medicine, houston, TX, United States; Irma Ugalde, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, Houston, TX, United States

Presenting Author(s)

Irma Ugalde, MD, MBE (she/her/hers)

Associate Professor
McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston
Houston, Texas, United States

Co-Author(s)

Allison Petronzio, BSA

Medical Student
McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston

Background:

Firearm-related injury and death can be mitigated by the safe storage of firearms and ammunition in the household. Physicians can play an important role in reducing firearm-related injury and death through counseling on firearm safety; however, in order to effectively do this, it is critical that providers understand current firearm ownership and storage patterns in their communities.

Objective: Our objective was to investigate the firearm storage practices of patients in the emergency department (ED) at a busy Level 1 Trauma Center in Houston, Texas.

Design/Methods:

We surveyed a convenience sample of level 3-5 triaged adult patients or parents of pediatric patients in the ED at a mixed Level 1 Trauma Center in Houston, Texas from May through October 2022. The survey was comprised of questions on firearm ownership status, types of firearms, demographics, and storage practices. We utilized either Pearson’s chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test for statistical analysis of the data.

Results:

A total of 2,262 patients were approached with the survey, and 1,282 patients agreed to participate. In total, 1,221 patients were included in the data analysis after excluding surveys with contradicting responses, and 363 patients reported owning at least one firearm. We stratified the data based on the number of firearms owned. Among all firearm owners, 59.9% reported at least one child living in the household, 21.5% reported storing their firearms in an unlocked place, and 39.7% reported storing them loaded with ammunition. Notably, among those owning more than one firearm, 36.4% of respondents reported storing at least one firearm loaded and unlocked. Among all firearms owned, a handgun (75.8%) was the most common firearm, followed by a shotgun (48.8%) and a rifle (21.5%), with the majority stored in a locked place (74.1%). Although most ammunition was kept in a locked place, 60.6% of firearm owners stored their ammunition in the same place as the firearm. In addition, there were significant associations of owning more than one firearm with the following: a) the way of keeping the firearm, b) whether firearms are stored loaded, c) unloaded ammunition being kept at home, and d) the amount of ammunition being kept in a locked place.

Conclusion(s):

Suboptimal firearm storage practices were discovered among ED patients. These results can inform firearm storage counseling in Houston, Texas and potentially other large urban areas.