Firearm-related injury is the leading cause of death among children and adolescents in Pennsylvania, and in our state, an average of 118 children and teens die from firearm-related injury each year. Pediatricians are on the frontlines of this crisis, providing not only acute, critical care to victims of firearm injury, but also ongoing medical and mental health treatment for children injured by firearms. 

PA AAP has created this Firearm Safety Toolkit for Healthcare Providers to equip pediatricians and other pediatric healthcare providers with Pennsylvania-specific information and resources to promote firearm safety through clinical care and advocacy. 

Safe Firearm Storage 

The presence of unlocked firearms in the home increases the risk of both unintentional gun injuries and intentional shootings. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, when children are present in the home, firearms should be stored locked and unloaded, with ammunition locked separately.

• Read more on AAP's safe storage guidance here.
• This article from the American Psychological Association offers guidance on "How to talk to your patients about firearm safety". 
• The BulletPoints Project offers clinical tools for prevent firearms injury. 

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Policy Solutions

• View CeaseFire PA's Legislative Tracker for a list of firearm-related bills in the Pennsylvania House and Senate
• The American Academy of Pediatrics has created a Gun Safety Campaign Toolkit to help providers advocate for gun safety policies, including social media graphics and public awareness campaign information. 

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Lethal Means Counseling 

Like counseling on seat belt use or pool safety, counseling parents on firearm ownership and safe storage practices is important and helps mitigate the risk of death and injury to children. In the context of suicide prevention, lethal means counseling refers to the process of assessing whether a patient at risk for suicide has access to a firearm or other lethal means and working with them and their family to limit their access until they are no longer at elevated risk. 

• The American Academy of Pediatrics offers an online course titled "CALM for Pediatric Providers: Counseling on Access to Lethal Means to Prevent Youth Suicide. Take the course here. 

Find Free Gun Locks Near You

• Project Childsafe is a nationwide firearm safety education program in the US. The program offers free educational resources to demonstrate the importance of firearm safety and to encourage the promotion and the practice of responsible firearm ownership. Project ChildSafe has partnered with law enforcement agencies throughout Pennsylvania to provide free firearm safety kits, which include a cable-style gun lock. Obtain a gun lock for free by locating a participating law enforcement agency near you on Project Childsafe's website here. 
• The Pennsylvania State Police provides cable gun locks for free. Find your local Pennsylvania State Police station here to request a free gun lock.

Region-specific resources (Coming Soon!)
Find region-specific information on  where patients can buy and access gun locks and gun safes, regional gun buybacks, and community/county-based programs to prevent community firearm violence. 

Upcoming Events 
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PA AAP and Physicians for Social Responsibility PA will host a webinar on "Clinical and Public Policy Strategies to Prevent Child Firearm Injury and Suicide" on Wednesday, June 26, 2024 from 12:00-1:00 PM. Register for the webinar here. 

Past Events 

On January 17, 2024, the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, CeaseFire PA, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and Physicians for Social Responsibility PA hosted a webinar on "The Public Health Crisis of Gun Violence: Your Role and Understanding as a Healthcare Provider". View a recording of the webinar here.