O1030: School-Based Firearm Safety Education Programs for Children: A Scoping Review

Background: Since 2019, firearms have been the leading cause of death among children in the U.S. In 2013, the National Academies of Science described a key priority for firearm violence prevention was to determine the degree to which various childhood education or prevention programs reduce firearm violence in childhood and later in life. To date, there have been no large scale, peer-reviewed studies evaluating the effects of firearm safety curricula presented in school settings. The objective of this study was to conduct a scoping review to identify school-based K-12 firearm safety education programs.

Methods: Databases and grey literature were searched in accordance with the predetermined inclusion criteria: educational programs that mention firearms, taught to a general audience of children at K-12 US schools (Table 1). Titles and abstracts were screened to identify potentially relevant evaluation studies, which then underwent full-text screening. Other potentially relevant studies, letters, or reviews identified during the title and abstract screening without evaluation studies underwent full text review to identify discussions or mentions of the educational programs of interest. Screening of titles, abstracts, and full text were conducted independently by two reviewers, with disagreements resolved by a third reviewer. Additionally, two reviewers independently screened the references and full texts to identify additional studies of interest. Keyword searches were performed on Google Scholar and Google to identify additional educational programs not captured in the published literature. Data charting was completed by one reviewer and verified for accuracy by a second reviewer.

Results: Of 2847 studies screened and 67 keyword searches, 26 programs met our inclusion criteria. 14 programs (54%) were developed by community groups such as schools, law enforcement, and healthcare, either individually or in collaboration. 8 programs were developed by non-profit organizations, 2 programs were developed by firearm interest groups, and 1 program was developed by a for-profit organization. 19 programs (70%) were developed before 2009, and of these, 13 programs were developed between 1980 and 1999. Most programs targeted elementary and middle school students, and only 9 of 26 (35%) included a high school audience. Curriculum content included topics directly related to firearms such as safe handling and use, storage, and consequences of firearm injuries and violence. Only 3 programs underwent an evaluation study, primarily based on pre- and post- survey evaluations, and results of these studies demonstrated limited program effectiveness.

Conclusion: Most school-based firearm safety educational programs for children lack an evidence-backed design and preliminary effectiveness data. Most programs were developed prior to 2009 and therefore do not account for the rise in pediatric firearm violence over the past decade. We conclude that there remains a critical gap in evidence-based K-12 curricula on firearm safety.