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Health Education Research Advance Access published online on September 22, 2007
Health Education Research, doi:10.1093/her/cym049
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© The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Storage of household firearms: an examination of the attitudes and beliefs of married women with children

RM Johnson1,2,3,*, CW Runyan2,3,4, T Coyne-Beasley2,3,4, MA Lewis5 and JM Bowling2

1 Harvard Injury Control Research Center; Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
2 Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, The University of North Carolina, School of Public Health, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7440, USA
3 UNC Injury Prevention Research Center, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7505, USA
4 Department of Pediatrics, The University of North Carolina, School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 25799-7220, USA
5 RTI International, 3040 Cornwallis Road, PO Box 12194, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-2194, USA

Correspondence to: * Correspondence to: R. M. Johnson. E-mail: rejohnso{at}hsoh.harvard.edu

Although safe firearm storage is a promising injury prevention strategy, many parents do not keep their firearms unloaded and locked up. Using the theory of planned behavior as a guiding conceptual framework, this study examines factors associated with safe storage among married women with children and who have firearms in their homes. Data come from a national telephone survey (n = 185). We examined beliefs about defensive firearm use, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control and firearm storage practices. A Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney test was conducted to assess associations between psychosocial factors and firearm storage practices. Women were highly motivated to keep firearms stored safely. Those reporting safe storage practices had more favorable attitudes, more supportive subjective norms and higher perceptions of behavioral control than those without safe storage. One-fourth believed a firearm would prevent a family member from being hurt in case of a break-in, 58% believed a firearm could scare off a burglar. Some 63% said they leave decisions about firearm storage to their husbands. Women were highly motivated to store firearms safely as evidenced by favorable attitudes, supportive subjective norms and high perceptions of behavioral control. This was especially true for those reporting safer storage practices.

Received on June 12, 2006; accepted on July 9, 2007


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