Physician firearm ownership as a predictor of firearm injury prevention practice.

Abstract

This study explored the relation between physicians' gun ownership and their attitudes and practices regarding firearm injury prevention. Internists and surgeons were surveyed, and logistic regression models were developed with physicians' personal involvement with firearms (in the form of a gun score) as the primary independent variable. Higher gun scores were associated with less agreement that firearm injury is a public health issue and that physicians should be involved in firearm injury prevention but with a greater likelihood of reporting the inclusion of firearm ownership and storage as part of patient safety counseling. Despite being less likely to say that doctors should participate in firearm injury prevention, physician gun owners are more likely than nonowners to report counseling patients about firearm safety.