Publication Date: March 2010
What does it say?
Researchers surveyed over 3,000 adolescents (ages 14 to 18) seeking medical care at an urban emergency room in Michigan about their access to handguns. One third of the respondents reported that they “could get a handgun if they wanted to,” including 40 percent of male teens.
Teens seeking care for medical complaints were more likely than those seeking care for intentional injury to have access to a handgun. This may mean that intervention programs in the emergency room that target those presenting with gunshot wounds may be missing teens with access to handguns.
How can I use it?
Under federal law, a person must be at least 21 years old to purchase a handgun from a federally licensed dealer. Generally, 18-20 year olds can possess handguns. The report did not state what percent of the adolescents were 18 years old and could legally possess handguns.
Use the results to advocate that all gun sales go through federally licensed dealers to help keep guns away from teenagers and to advocate that Michigan strengthen and enforce its child access prevention law.
Citation
Loh, Kevin, et al, “Prevalence and Correlates of Handgun Access Among Adolescents Seeking Care in an Urban Emergency Department,” Accident Analysis and Prevention 42(2010): 347-353
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