New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center, Piscataway.
School of Public Health, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway.
JAMA Netw Open. 2023 Mar 1;6(3):e231447. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.1447.
Secure firearm storage may help reduce firearm injury and death. Broad implementation requires more granular assessments of firearm storage practices and greater clarity on circumstances that may prevent or promote the use of locking devices.
To develop a more thorough understanding of firearm storage practices, obstacles to using locking devices, and circumstances in which firearm owners would consider locking unsecured firearms.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A cross-sectional, nationally representative survey of adults residing in 5 US states who owned firearms was administered online between July 28 and August 8, 2022. Participants were recruited via probability-based sampling.
Firearm storage practices were assessed via a matrix provided to participants in which firearm-locking devices were described both via text and images. Locking mechanisms (key/personal identification number [PIN]/dial vs biometric) were specified for each type of device. Obstacles to the use of locking devices and circumstances in which firearm owners would consider locking unsecured firearms were assessed via self-report items developed by the study team.
The final weighted sample included 2152 adult (aged ≥18 years), English-speaking firearm owners residing in the US; the sample was predominantly male (66.7%). Among the 2152 firearm owners, 58.3% (95% CI, 55.9%-60.6%) reported storing at least 1 firearm unlocked and hidden, with 17.9% (95% CI, 16.2%-19.8%) reporting storing at least 1 firearm unlocked and unhidden. Gun safes were the most frequently used device both among participants who use keyed/PIN/dial locking mechanisms (32.4%; 95% CI, 30.2%-34.7%) and those who use biometric locking mechanisms (15.6%; 95% CI, 13.9%-17.5%). Those who do not store firearms locked most frequently noted a belief that locks are unnecessary (49.3%; 95% CI, 45.5%-53.1%) and a fear that locks would prevent quick access in an emergency (44.8%; 95% CI, 41.1%-48.7%) as obstacles to lock usage. Preventing access by children was the most often reported circumstance in which firearm owners would consider locking unsecured firearms (48.5%; 95% CI, 45.6%-51.4%).
In this survey study of 2152 firearm owners, consistent with prior research, unsecure firearm storage was common. Firearm owners appeared to prefer gun safes relative to cable locks and trigger locks, indicating that locking device distribution programs may not match firearm owners' preferences. Broad implementation of secure firearm storage may require addressing disproportionate fears of home intruders and increasing awareness of the risks associated with household firearm access. Furthermore, implementation efforts may hinge on broader awareness of the risks of ready firearm access beyond unauthorized access by children.
安全的枪支储存可能有助于减少枪支伤害和死亡。广泛实施需要更详细地评估枪支储存做法，并更清楚地了解哪些情况可能会阻止或促进使用锁定装置。
更深入地了解枪支储存做法、使用锁定装置的障碍，以及枪支所有者在何种情况下会考虑锁定未上锁的枪支。
设计、地点和参与者：这是一项在美国 5 个州进行的横断面、全国代表性的成年人调查，这些成年人居住在拥有枪支的家庭中。参与者通过基于概率的抽样方法招募。
通过向参与者提供一个矩阵来评估枪支储存做法，其中通过文本和图像描述了枪支锁定装置。为每种类型的装置指定了锁定机制（钥匙/个人识别码[PIN]/拨号与生物识别）。通过研究小组开发的自报项目评估了使用锁定装置的障碍以及枪支所有者在何种情况下会考虑锁定未上锁的枪支。
最终加权样本包括 2152 名居住在美国的成年（年龄≥18 岁）、会说英语的枪支所有者；样本中男性居多（66.7%）。在 2152 名枪支所有者中，58.3%（95%CI，55.9%-60.6%）报告至少有 1 支枪支未上锁且隐藏存放，17.9%（95%CI，16.2%-19.8%）报告至少有 1 支枪支未上锁且未隐藏存放。保险箱是最常被使用的装置，无论是在使用钥匙/PIN/拨号锁定机制的参与者中（32.4%；95%CI，30.2%-34.7%）还是在使用生物识别锁定机制的参与者中（15.6%；95%CI，13.9%-17.5%）。那些不将枪支上锁存放的人最常提到他们认为上锁是不必要的（49.3%；95%CI，45.5%-53.1%），以及担心上锁会妨碍紧急情况下的快速取用（44.8%；95%CI，41.1%-48.7%），这是阻止他们使用锁定装置的障碍。防止儿童进入是枪支所有者最常考虑锁定未上锁枪支的情况（48.5%；95%CI，45.6%-51.4%）。
在这项对 2152 名枪支所有者的调查研究中，与先前的研究一致，不安全的枪支储存很常见。枪支所有者似乎更喜欢保险箱而不是电缆锁和扳机锁，这表明锁定装置的分配方案可能与枪支所有者的偏好不匹配。广泛实施安全的枪支储存可能需要解决对家庭入侵者的不成比例的恐惧，并提高对与家庭枪支使用相关的风险的认识。此外，实施工作可能取决于更广泛地认识到除了未经授权的儿童获取之外，随时取用枪支的风险。
