O3244: Target Safety: A Multi-Pronged Approach to Developing a Conversation Guide to Secure Storage

Background: With firearms being the leading cause of death in children, it is imperative to discover effective mechanisms to communicate with parents and caregivers about secure firearm storage. The objective of this study was to assess attitudes on secure storage and develop a tool to assist in the guidance of secure storage counseling.

Methods: A community advisory board was formed in 2023. The board consisted of firearm retailers, suicide prevention advocates, veterans affairs leaders, public health researchers, health care professionals, gun violence advocates, and firearm trainers. Their goal was to guide the development of the materials, and a series of focus groups and online surveys were conducted with firearm owners and retailers to assess for the feasibility and acceptability of secure storage counseling by health care professionals and firearm retailers, as well as distribution of secure storage materials. Once thematic saturation was achieved, a creative brief was delivered to a graphic designer who informed the development of the conversation guide. The guide was further informed by a Texas based survey distributed online via Centiment market panel in September of 2024. In this survey, we gathered general demographic data, firearm ownership and storage habits, and psychosocial beliefs around secure storage. Descriptive analysis and logistical regression were completed utilizing Stata v17.

Results: The sample consisted of 740 respondents with diverse demographic characteristics (See Table1). Among respondents, 75% reported storing all firearms locked. The primary reason for ownership cited was for protection against a home intruder (60%). 46% reported dissembling a firearm for storage, and 11% reported storing a firearm in their car. Respondents reported high levels of trust in their ability to keep firearms inaccessible to children and vulnerable individuals (4.31/5). Respondents overall somewhat disagreed that is it unrealistic to store all firearms locked up in the home (2.84/5). Parents reported a higher ability in keeping firearms inaccessible to children and vulnerable individuals (p=0.035) and were less likely to report that having a gun locked up would make them worried for their safety (p=0.015). Overall law enforcement had strong beliefs in their attitudes around the safety and efficacy of secure storage. Veterans and law enforcement demonstrated confidence in knowledge on secure storage, but did not demonstrate differences in storage practices between nonveterans. Parents were significantly more likely to securely store their firearms compared to nonparents.
Results were reviewed with the 15 advisory board members, and the conversation guide was further refined (figure 2)

Conclusion: Understanding the perception of the firearm owner in messaging is key to influencing behavior practices. Leveraging a diverse advisory board can assist in program development, and lead to improved tools for intervention testing. Future tests include pilot testing the conversation guide in both retail and health care spaces for acceptability and efficacy.