NCJ Number
174593
Date Published
1998
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Data collected in a statewide telephone survey in California in 1994-96 were used to assess the exposure of California residents to unsafely stored handguns in the home.
Abstract
The data came from the California Behavioral Risk Factor Survey, a survey of randomly selected adults. The analysis focused on the 791 participants who had only 1 handgun in the home. The data were analyzed by means of logistic regression. Percentages were adjusted to better reflect California's adult population to match the 1990 population on age, race/ethnicity, and sex. Results suggested that 51 percent of the adults in single-handgun households stored their handgun safely. Gender, age, race/ethnicity, presence of children in the home, and the reasons for owning a handgun were related to safe handgun storage. Income, education level, marital status, and population density did not predict safe handgun storage when considered together with the other characteristics. Women, younger participants, Hispanics and Asians, people with children in the household, and people who owned a handgun primarily for hobby purposes were more likely than others to store a handgun safely. Findings also revealed that the majority of handgun owners kept a handgun for safety and self-protection; these handgun owners are less likely than others to store their handgun owners. Findings indicated that more than 200,000 California children live in single-handgun homes with an improperly stored handgun and that many handgun owners may be unaware of the State children's access law and the danger of keeping handguns, especially if unsafely stored, in the home. Figure and 18 references