Doctors and Firearm Injury Prevention: Conversations Can Save Lives
June is Gun Violence Awareness Month, and it’s the perfect time to check in with your doctors or patients about reducing harm and saving lives.
As family physicians, we have the unique privilege and responsibility to address crucial health risks with our patients.
Whether discussing the negative health impacts of cigarette use, excessive alcohol consumption, or unhealthy eating habits, our goal is always to empower patients to make informed choices that protect their health and the well-being of those they love. Yet one topic, firearm injury prevention, has often been overlooked in medical conversations—despite its increasing relevance in our patients’ lives.
We’ve been practicing medicine for over 40 years combined, but our shift into firearm injury prevention has been more recent. Dr. Batish owns his own practice in North Carolina and has been focusing his research on gun violence, including screening tools to anticipate future gun violence in teens and young adults, as well as assessing the potential impact of gun shows on rates of gun deaths and injuries. Dr. Bigham is a clinical professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health who has developed culturally humble hands-on firearm injury prevention training programs for students and clinicians that emphasize respectful, informed conversations with patients.
As physicians practicing in North Carolina and Wisconsin, we’ve both witnessed firsthand the growing impact of firearm-related harm on our communities. From unintentional shootings to impulsive acts of self-harm, the presence of unsecured firearms may escalate situations that would otherwise remain nonlethal. To try to combat this dangerous trend, we decided to take proactive steps to address these risks by initiating conversations with our patients about firearm risk reduction and the secure storage of guns.
Some may wonder why a doctor should venture into discussions about firearms—a topic seemingly unrelated to medicine. The answer is simple: saving lives.
Firearm violence in America is a public health epidemic. It’s the leading cause of death for American kids and teens, and, alarmingly, gun deaths have been on the rise among children, nearly doubling from 2014 to 2023. Every year, more than 2,000 minors are killed by guns in the US. Thousands more are seriously injured. And this violence disproportionately impacts Black children, who are five times more likely to die from gun-related harm than white children.
But secure firearm storage, which focuses on prevention of access by unauthorized users, doesn’t just protect children. It can be crucial to save the lives of those with dementia, individuals experiencing a mental health crisis, and victims of intimate partner violence, whose lives could be saved by the simple act of creating a barrier to an unsecured firearm.
As a patient, you should always feel comfortable asking your doctor about the potential risks of having firearms nearby, especially with children in the house. Being knowledgeable on the topic and discussing potential strategies to avoid firearm injuries is important to protect yourself, your family, and anyone else in your community.
For example, we often see parents of young children who mention they are uncertain of whether there are firearms in places their children visit, but they aren’t sure how to approach the topic. To avoid any unintentional injuries, we recommend asking about the presence of firearms before your child enters another home or space. The answer doesn’t have to change your plans—plenty of gun owners responsibly store their firearms. But it’s better to have the information and make an informed decision than to find out after an incident occurs.
In addition, physicians should make discussing firearm injury prevention a regular part of their appointments. Whether using a recommended checklist of questions or topics to cover or just setting out to have a simple conversation, doctors have a responsibility to protect their patients. Because firearm injuries are so common these days—and are so often preventable—it’s sensible to discuss how the presence of firearms near a patient or their family may increase risk for a firearm related injury.
Importantly, as we have engaged in these conversations, we’ve followed the American Medical Association’s recommendation to use specific terminology like “firearm injury prevention” in place of “gun violence.” “Firearm” is the preferred term because it encompasses all types of legally owned weapons, reinforcing a neutral tone rather than the more casual or emotionally charged connotations of “gun.” Similarly, “ammunition” is broader and more accurate than “bullets,” as it includes cartridges, shells, and other components, ensuring patients understand the full scope of what needs to be securely stored. In practice, we’ve found the likelihood of safer behavior greatly increased when following this mindful approach to our language.
We both can share countless stories of how taking a brief moment to discuss mindful and responsible firearm storage with our patients encouraged them to pursue steps to reduce risk for firearm injury for themselves and their families. During a routine visit last year, an older patient shared with Dr. Batish that she had inherited several guns from her late husband, which were loaded and stored without any securing devices in place.
She had nearly forgotten about them, even as her young grandchildren visited her home every weekend. When Dr. Batish explained how not storing her guns in a secure way could put her grandchildren at risk, she was deeply concerned. With no judgment, he offered her cable locks that he had obtained from the local Veterans Administration, and she gratefully accepted them. At a follow-up appointment, she reported that the firearms were now securely locked away—a simple yet effective step that gave her peace of mind and safeguarded her family.
It’s moments like this that reaffirm the importance of our role as advocates for firearm harm reduction. When physicians approach the topic with sensitivity and a focus on health, patients are often receptive and willing to make changes. We typically emphasize the benefits of secure storage options, such as cable locks, gun cases, or safes, and recommend separating ammunition from firearms. By framing the conversation around reducing risks to loved ones, particularly children, our patients are more likely to engage in meaningful discussions which lead to action.
Just as we focus on optimizing wellness by counseling patients on preventing lung cancer by avoiding cigarettes or reducing the risk of heart disease through healthy eating and exercise, we can reduce firearm-related injuries and deaths by encouraging secure firearm storage practices.
Securely storing your guns may seem like a natural way to reduce the potential for firearm injury, but it’s a less common practice than you might think. More than half of all gun owners store at least one gun in an unsecured manner—without locks or other secure storage measures. In fact, nearly a quarter of all gun owners report storing all of their guns in an unlocked location in the home.
Unsecured guns pose safety risks, especially for children. Nearly five million minors in the US live in homes with at least one loaded, unsecured firearm. In fact, nearly four in five firearms involved in teen gun suicide cases were owned by parents and other family members. We know that access to firearms in the home triples the risk for gun suicide. And many children know where their parents keep their guns and have accessed them—even if their parents think otherwise.
We believe sensible harm reduction strategies exist to address this crisis. Right now, Wisconsin legislators are debating a bipartisan bill that would encourage secure gun storage by exempting gun safes from the state sales tax. Research shows that secure firearm storage significantly decreases the risk of unintentional injuries and suicides. And as healthcare providers, we have a duty to engage patients in this lifesaving dialogue.
It’s well-established for physicians to screen and counsel patients for alcohol and tobacco use; firearm ownership should be no different. Yet less than 10% of clinicians routinely counsel patients on firearms. We believe that one major factor that will help change this is public demand for clinician involvement.
By making firearm injury prevention a routine matter for doctors to discuss with patients, countless lives can be saved. Let’s all do our part by moving toward having these important discussions.
coalitions
GUN OWNERS FOR SAFETY
The NRA’s extremist views don’t represent the majority of gun owners. Responsible gun owners understand that commonsense gun laws go hand-in-hand with firearm ownership.
Read More
TAKE ACTION
Students, veterans, survivors: Americans from all walks of life across the country are standing up for commonsense gun reform. If you’re fed up with politicians who care more about protecting gun lobby profits than your safety, stand with us in this fight.
Join Us