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http://www.aap.org/research/periodicsurvey/ps25.htm
Periodic Survey of Fellows
Guns and Children: AAP Periodic Survey Results
Most AAP members recently surveyed support handgun bans and other gun-control legislation.
In an AAP Periodic Survey of 1,060 U.S. pediatricians, the majority said they believe legislative actions should be taken to reduce firearm availability.
Among the findings:
Nineteen percent of the pediatricians surveyed treated or consulted on gunshot wounds to children during the past year.
Some 59 percent of the gun injuries physicians reported were among patients ages 13 and older.
Half of the gun injuries physicians reported were caused by handguns. BB guns and air guns accounted for 18 percent of the injuries, and long guns accounted for 7 percent.
Eighty-six percent of the pediatricians surveyed agree or strongly agree that gun-control legislation will help reduce the risks of injury or death among children and adolescents.
Among those surveyed, 92 percent agree or strongly agree that pediatricians should support legislation to restrict possession or sale of handguns.
Some 77 percent of the physicians surveyed agree or strongly agree that pediatricians should support legislation to ban possession or sale of handguns.
Ninety-one percent of those surveyed agree or strongly agree that pediatricians should support legislation holding gun owners responsible for children's and teens' use of adults' guns.
The survey, which was conducted from March to June, also showed that physicians think violence among children is a national concern.
Ninety-two percent of physicians surveyed said they agreed or strongly agreed that violence prevention should be a "priority issue" among pediatricians.
Some 82 percent of those surveyed agree or strongly agree that pediatricians' firearm safety counseling will help reduce death or injury.
Among those surveyed, 84 percent agree or strongly agree that pediatricians should, during routine intake screening, question parents about firearm ownership and storage.
Ninety-five percent of the physicians surveyed agree or strongly agree that pediatricians should advise parents who own firearms to unload their guns and lock them away.
Some 66 percent of those surveyed agree or strongly agree that pediatricians should advise parents who own handguns to remove them from their homes.
The physicians surveyed, however, provide relatively little firearm-safety counseling.
Only 12 percent of the pediatricians surveyed stated that they always identify families who keep firearms in their homes. Fifty percent of the physicians surveyed never identify which patients' families have firearms at home.
Some 33 percent of the physicians surveyed reported that they always recommend that families should unload and lock away their guns. Thirty-seven percent of the physicians never provide that guidance.
Only 18 percent of the physicians surveyed stated that they always recommend that handguns be removed from their patients' homes.
