Partner Toolkit – Preventing Unintentional Firearm Injury & Death Among Youth

As pediatric health experts who see the consequences of firearm injury firsthand, we recognize the urgency for action on this issue and have identified unintentional firearm injury and death as a promising starting point for intervention. Together with the Center for Violence Prevention (CVP) at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, we released a new Evidence to Action brief, “Preventing Unintentional Firearm Injury & Death Among Youth: Examining the Evidence.” This brief provides recommendations rooted in research for public health approaches to protect children from the dangers of firearms.

An accompanying new policy brief, “Protecting Youth From Unintentional Injury: Addressing the Research Gaps,” highlights where more research is needed and identifies policies that have enough evidence behind them to warrant immediate action.  

We hope our policy recommendations and identified areas for further research can equip caregivers, providers, community organizations, and policymakers with solutions to make communities and children across the country safer from avoidable firearm injury.

To support you in sharing these resources, we created key messages, suggested social media posts, graphics and a newsletter blurb (included below) if you wish to disseminate these materials to your networks.

KEY MESSAGES:

  • As of 2018, firearm-related injury remained the second-leading cause of death for children. In 2019 alone, there were more than 300 unintentional shootings by children, resulting in 120 deaths and more than 200 injuries.
  • This issue has come into focus even more during the COVID-19 pandemic as gun sales have spiked. As COVID-19 cases climbed between March and May 2020, there was a 30% increase in unintentional shooting deaths by children compared to the average during the same time frame over the last three years.
  • Our unique, solutions-focused Evidence to Action brief evaluates existing research on firearm legislation, highlights priorities for future studies, and proposes evidence-based, public health approaches to prevent unintentional firearm injury and death in children and teens.
  • This brief is the first of its kind to review the effectiveness of various firearm policies through a child-focused lens.
  • Our accompanying new policy brief summarizes the findings from the Evidence to Action brief, identifies critical gaps where more research is needed and builds out recommendations for research to determine which policies work to prevent firearm injury among youth.
  • Ambitious action is needed to address gaps in research and enact policies that can help curb firearm-related injury and death among youth.

Join the conversation.

@PolicyLabCHOP

@CVPatCHOP

 @PolicyLab at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Be sure to use #PreventChildFirearmInjury to connect to the conversation.

SAMPLE TWITTER MESSAGES:

  • Firearm-related injury continues to be a leading cause of childhood death. A new brief from @PolicyLabCHOP & @CVPatCHOP reviews effectiveness of policies through a child-focused lens & offers recommendations rooted in research to better protect kids.
  • New from @PolicyLabCHOP & @CVPatCHOP: Evidence to Action brief evaluates research & strength of data on firearm legislation, providing solutions for caregivers, providers, community organizations & policymakers to protect children from firearm injury.
  • How can we protect kids from devastating unintentional firearm injury? Experts at @PolicyLabCHOP & @CVPatCHOP released a new report that provides action-oriented recommendations for providers, communities & policymakers to better protect kids. 
  • New policy brief from @PolicyLabCHOP & @CVPatCHOP provides a quick, actionable look at where research and policy can begin to address the urgent need to #preventchildfirearminjury.

SAMPLE LINKEDIN MESSAGE:

  • Despite significant national attention to shootings involving children and resulting calls for gun reform, little has been done to address gaps in research or enact policies that can help prevent firearm-related injury and death among youth. In a new Evidence to Action brief, @PolicyLab at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and CHOP’s Center for Violence Prevention share recommendations rooted in research for new public health approaches to protect children from the dangers of firearms. This brief is the first of its kind to review the effectiveness of various firearm policies through a child-focused lens and can be a key resource for communities as they work to prevent firearm-related injury and death among youth. Read the report at bitly.com/Preventing-Unintentional-Firearm-Injury.
  • Urgent action is needed to reducing the risk of unintentional firearm injury and death among children. A new policy brief from @PolicyLab at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and CHOP’s Center for Violence Prevention builds out recommendations for research to determine which policies work to prevent firearm injury among youth and identifies policies with enough evidence behind them to warrant immediate action. Find the brief at bitly.com/Addressing-Firearm-Research-Gaps

SOCIAL GRAPHICS:

Download & share the visual below for greater impact in your messaging. Please right click and save each image for your use. 

TEMPLATE NEWSLETTER LANGUAGE:

New resource: Examining the Evidence to Prevent Unintentional Firearm Injury & Death Among Youth

Despite significant national attention to shootings involving children and resulting calls for gun reform, little has been done to address gaps in research or enact policies that can help prevent firearm-related injury and death among youth. To address this critical issue, PolicyLab and the Center for Violence Prevention at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia have released a new Evidence to Action brief that is the first of its kind to review the effectiveness of various firearm policies through a child-focused lens

The brief takes a deep dive into the existing evidence on gun-related policies and interventions that could have an impact on unintentional firearm injury among youth based on the strength of the available data. The authors provide recommendations rooted in research for new public health approaches to protect children from the dangers of firearms. Learn more here and read the accompanying policy brief that builds out guidance for research to determine which policies work to prevent firearm injury among youth.

LINKS:

Evidence to Action brief: bitly.com/Preventing-Unintentional-Firearm-Injury

Policy Brief: bitly.com/Addressing-Firearm-Research-Gaps

Authors:

Krass P, Cavello L, Sabrick J, Matone M, Rosenquist R, Fein JA