TY - JOUR
T1 - Reexamining the association between child access prevention gun laws and unintentional shooting deaths of children
AU - Webster, D. W.
AU - Starnes, M.
PY - 2000
Y1 - 2000
N2 - Context. A previous study estimated that child access prevention (CAP) laws, which hold adults criminally liable for unsafe firearm storage in the environment of children, were associated with a 23% decline in unintentional firearm mortality rates among children. Objective. To reassess the effects of CAP laws and more fully examine the consistency of the estimated law effects across states. Design. A pooled time-series study of unintentional firearm mortality among children from 1979 through 1997. Setting. The 50 states and the District of Columbia. Participants. All children <15 years. Main Outcome Measures. Rates of unintentional deaths attributable to firearms. Results. When the effects of all 15 state CAP laws enacted before 1998 were aggregated, the laws were associated with a 17% decline unintentional firearm death rates among children. The laws' effects were not equal across states. Florida's CAP law was associated with a 51% decline; however, there were no statistically significant aggregate or state-specific law effects in the other 14 states with CAP laws. Conclusions. Florida's CAP law - 1 of only 3 such laws allowing felony prosecution of violators - appears to have significantly reduced unintentional firearm deaths to children. However, there is no evidence of effects in the other 14 states with CAP laws.
AB - Context. A previous study estimated that child access prevention (CAP) laws, which hold adults criminally liable for unsafe firearm storage in the environment of children, were associated with a 23% decline in unintentional firearm mortality rates among children. Objective. To reassess the effects of CAP laws and more fully examine the consistency of the estimated law effects across states. Design. A pooled time-series study of unintentional firearm mortality among children from 1979 through 1997. Setting. The 50 states and the District of Columbia. Participants. All children <15 years. Main Outcome Measures. Rates of unintentional deaths attributable to firearms. Results. When the effects of all 15 state CAP laws enacted before 1998 were aggregated, the laws were associated with a 17% decline unintentional firearm death rates among children. The laws' effects were not equal across states. Florida's CAP law was associated with a 51% decline; however, there were no statistically significant aggregate or state-specific law effects in the other 14 states with CAP laws. Conclusions. Florida's CAP law - 1 of only 3 such laws allowing felony prosecution of violators - appears to have significantly reduced unintentional firearm deaths to children. However, there is no evidence of effects in the other 14 states with CAP laws.
KW - Child access prevention laws
KW - Unintentional firearms deaths
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U2 - 10.1542/peds.106.6.1466
DO - 10.1542/peds.106.6.1466
M3 - Article
C2 - 11099605
AN - SCOPUS:0033669415
SN - 0031-4005
VL - 106
SP - 1466
EP - 1469
JO - Pediatrics
JF - Pediatrics
IS - 6
ER -