In a pediatric emergency department, most caregivers who watched a three-minute video approved of it, yet the study could not show safer storage changes.
A brief safe firearm storage video was well received by caregivers of adolescents in firearm-owning households in a Pediatric Emergency Department. The study also showed recruitment was possible, but follow-up participation was limited, especially in the video group. Because reported storage was already high among those who followed up, the study could not detect improvement in storage behaviors.
Quick summary
- What the study found: A three-minute video on safe firearm storage was rated positively and considered appropriate for the Emergency Department, but follow-up was under half and no storage improvements were detected.
- Why it matters: Emergency visits may offer a practical touchpoint for universal “lethal means safety” education for families with adolescents, a group at elevated risk for firearm injury and suicide.
- What to be careful about: Self-report and selection effects likely inflated “safe storage” rates; the design and missing follow-up limited the ability to test effectiveness.
What was found
In the journal article Acceptability and feasibility of video-based firearm safety education in a Colorado Emergency Department for caregivers of adolescents in firearm-owning households, researchers tested a three-minute safe firearm storage education video in a Pediatric Emergency Department using a block trial design.
Caregivers in firearm-owning households were enrolled into either a control block or an intervention block that watched the video and rated it. All participants completed baseline procedures, but fewer than half completed a three-month follow-up survey, with lower follow-up in the intervention group.
Among those who watched the video, most liked it and considered the Emergency Department an appropriate place to show it. Half said they learned something new, and most felt it was the right length; those who followed up largely recalled the main messages and reported the video was helpful.
What it means
The core signal is acceptability: a short, standardized video can be delivered in an acute-care setting without triggering the backlash clinicians often worry about when discussing firearms. That matters because a tool that clinicians will actually use can outperform a “better” tool that never gets implemented.
The missing signal is behavioral change. The study could not detect improvement in storage in the intervention group, in part because participants who followed up already reported locked storage at baseline.
Where it fits
This work sits in the practical end of lethal means safety: reducing access to highly lethal methods during moments of crisis. “Temporary removal” in this context means moving firearms out of the home when there is concern someone might harm themselves or others.
The study also underscores a basic measurement problem in safety counseling: self-reports can shift when people want to appear responsible. The authors note social desirability bias as a likely factor, and also describe “context effects,” where simply being asked about an idea can increase later knowledge.
How to use it
If you work in pediatric emergency care, the practical takeaway is to consider universal, brief education rather than only counseling caregivers who disclose unsafe storage. Universal delivery can reduce missed cases when disclosure is incomplete.
Use a consistent message: store firearms locked and unloaded, secure ammunition separately, and know that temporary removal is an option during a crisis. Pair the video with a short, nonjudgmental clinician script to normalize the topic alongside other child safety behaviors.
Limits & what we still don’t know
This was a single-center block trial with recruitment and follow-up constraints, including COVID-related challenges. Consent was obtained from a minority of approached caregivers, follow-up was low, and outcomes relied on self-report after an intervention.
Most importantly, the study does not establish that video education changes real storage behavior or reduces injuries and deaths. Larger studies, stronger designs that reduce survey effects, and better methods for assessing storage are still needed.
Closing takeaway
A three-minute firearm storage video can be acceptable in a Pediatric Emergency Department and remembered months later. The study does not yet show it changes behavior, but it makes a strong implementation case for brief, universal education while better effectiveness trials catch up.
Data in this article is provided by PMC OAI-PMH.