Reducing firearm injuries: The role of local public health departments

Objective, The purpose of this study was to gather data regarding local public health departments' involvement in activities to prevent firearm-related morbidity and mortality. Methods. A questionnaire was sent to local public health departments sewing cities with populations greater than or equal to 60,000 to assess their perceptions of the magnitude of the firearm injury problem in their jurisdictions and the activities in which they were engaged to reduce firearm-related injuries. Results. Almost half (49.7%) of respondents said that their departments had not seriously thought about being involved in activities to reduce firearm-related injuries. and fewer than one in five (17.8%) reported that their departments were involved in such activities. Respondents identified three barriers to involvement in activities to reduce firearm injuries: limited financial resources (62.7% of respondents), lack of expertise (50.8%), and not enough time (47%). Conclusions. Despite the extent of firearm injuries in the US, systematic collection of local data on firearm morbidity and mortality to help guide policy development is lacking.