Gun crime

Gun Crime is a major concern in USA; the annual death rate from gun violence is 3.6 per 100 000 population. The annual rate of gun murder per 100 000 of the population is currently 0.03 in UK. The total firearms death rate is 51 times higher in the US than in the UK the USA. Gun violence remains the number one cause of death for children ages 1–19 at a rate of almost 5 in every 100 000 in the USA. It is a political hot topic. What can be done? How can it be prevented other than the obvious banning of firearms? Kjærvik SL et al [JAMA Pediatr. 2023;177(9):903–910. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2023.2397] have looked at the effect of a gun safety video on children’s behaviour around real guns. Lucina was fascinated by this simple intervention and the cunning study design to assess child behaviour. Can a 1 min gun safety video reduce children’s unsafe behaviour around real guns? Wow!! what a small intervention…This was a randomised controlled trial, including 245 children aged 8–12 years. The study was conducted in two parts. The children watched a safety video at home 1 week before coming to the laboratory at The Ohio State University.

Pairs of children were randomly assigned to watch a 1 min gun or car …