INDIANAPOLIS – For the second time in as many months, preschool boys have been accidentally shot by a firearm in the home. One of those boys died.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 1997 there were 79 Indiana children and teenagers who died from gunshots. During this same year, Indiana had the highest rate of firearm-related deaths of all the central states. Nationwide, unintentional firearm deaths among five to nine year olds in 1998 increased 21 percent from the previous year.

Firearm injury prevention is a critical public health issue in the United States as well as for Hoosiers.

To address this public health issue, the Indiana University Center for Survey Research in cooperation with the Indiana Partnership to Prevent Firearm Violence will release the results of an Indiana Firearm Injury Prevention Survey at an 11:30 a.m. news conference today at the State House in Room 101.

The survey, conducted in the fall of 2000, is the first statewide opinion poll survey of how Hoosiers feel about firearm injury prevention measures.

“The purpose of the survey was to provide an accurate measurement of the opinions of Indiana residents regarding purchase of guns, safe storage of guns, and other firearm injury prevention initiatives, and to compare the responses from Hoosiers to household responses nationwide,” said Marilyn Bull, M.D., director of Developmental Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Riley Hospital for Children and medical director of the Indiana Partnership to Prevent Firearm Violence.

The telephone survey of 1,019 households, conducted over a five-week period, revealed the types of households that own guns in Indiana are very similar to gun-owning homes across the country in terms of marital status, education, and political affiliation. However, about half of the homes in Indiana own firearms compared to about 40 percent of American households. Of the Hoosier homes with guns, 30% are handguns, eight percent higher than the national average.

According to the results of the survey, strong, broad-based support for laws regulating the sale of firearms in Indiana was indicated. On average, from 60 to 85 percent of adults in Indiana support background checks on individuals purchasing a gun at a gun show or through a private sale, prohibition of gun sales to those convicted of domestic violence or assault, waiting periods between the purchase and delivery of handguns, mandatory training for new gun owners, and raising the legal age to purchase a gun from 18 to 21 years of age. Support for these regulations are highest among people who do not have guns in their homes; however, at least half of those who do have guns in their homes also support these initiatives.

Additionally, there was enthusiastic support for laws requiring safe storage of guns. Between 70 and 80 percent of Indiana adults’ support measures that would require gun owners to unload and lock up firearms if children live in the home, mandatory use of trigger locks on stored guns, and penalties for parents of children who misuse guns.

“We found that most Hoosiers support the idea that gun manufacturers be required to make guns that are ‘childproofed,’ meaning that a young child would be physically unable to shoot the gun and that all new handguns sold in Indiana would have to meet this requirement,” said Patricia Lau, director of the Indiana Partnership to Prevent Firearm Violence.

The survey revealed widespread support for laws that would require gun manufacturers to equip handguns with built-in safety devices that would “recognize” the owner, and not fire for anyone else. There was much less support among gun-owners and non-gun-owners for allowing the government to sue gun makers.

Additionally, there was almost unanimous support for raising the age to obtain a concealed weapon permit from 18 to 21 years of age. About half of the respondents favored measures that would allow concealed weapon permits for only those individuals involved in law enforcement, not for the general public.

In summary, results of the survey indicated:

* The majority of Indiana adults support tighter regulations related to purchasing guns including background checks, waiting periods, and raising the minimum age for purchase of a gun;

* Widespread support for laws related to safe storage of guns;

* That gun manufactures should be required to make guns that are “childproofed” and that contain built-in safety devices; and

* Overall, households throughout the country, as well as Hoosiers favor prevention efforts that focus on reducing injury and death from firearms.

“This information should prove valuable for civic and community leaders involved in designing and implementing policy and prevention programs focusing on firearm injury prevention,” said Dr. Bull.

The Indiana Partnership to Prevent Firearm Violence is a three-year project funded by The Joyce Foundation and the Indiana School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, to reduce the rates of firearm injury and death in Indiana. An advisory board of civic leaders and professionals who represent government, academic, and private domains across the state oversee projects and provide counsel to the Partnership.

“This survey is one of many activities the Partnership will use in its strategic plans to reduce gun-related injuries and deaths,” said Lau.