Washington State Committee Recommendations on Firearms Violence

By Washington State Child Death Review

Improving the health and safety of all our children : This report makes recommendations for prevention of firearms deaths to children. It is the third in a series of reports on prevention of fatal injuries in childhood. Data used in the reports comes from community-based multi-disciplinary team reviews of deaths to children in Washington State. An average of 765 Washington State children die each year. Hundreds of these deaths could be prevented through the implementation of statewide and local prevention strategies.

In an effort to inform this important prevention work, Washington State created the Child Death Review (CDR) program. Local Child Death Review teams throughout the state review the circumstances behind unexpected deaths of children birth to eighteen and recommend ways to prevent such deaths in the future. More than 400 volunteer experts - from a range of backgrounds in healthcare, social services, law enforcement and government - serve on the community-based teams. This information is collected by the Department of Health (DOH). The result is a body of data on which this report is based. This report is based on information from reviews of child deaths that occurred between 1999 and 2001.

The Washington State Child Death Review Committee, co-chaired by DOH and the Department of Social and Health services (DSHS), reviews data gathered by local teams to identify trends and prevention strategies for the entire state. For this report, the committee thoughtfully considered the information from reviews of child firearms deaths that occurred between 1999 and 2001. Workgroups made up of committee members and other experts identified data trends, reviewed literature and scanned existing prevention activities. The results of their effort are the statewide prevention recommendations described in this report. The recommendations are intentionally directed at a broad range of agencies and organizations as well as the public. A multi-directional approach is needed if we are to reduce the incidence of firearms deaths among Washington's children.

Based on this information, the CDR State Committee makes the recommendations that follow. The committee encourages all stakeholders - including parents and caregivers, legislators, healthcare leaders, community organizations, law enforcement and media -  to help implement these recommendations. By working together we can improve the health and safety of all our children..

Key Recommendations:

1. Eliminate Easy Access to Guns for Children of All Ages (0-17). Lock up guns to protect children and adolescents.
2. Explore Barriers to Enforcing Laws Regarding Illegal Possession of Firearms.
3. Identify and Support Children and Families at Risk of Firearm Violence. Promote distribution of inforamtion about risk factors related to child and family violence; develop anduse programs that support children and teens after school hours; educate teens about managing life stress and developing healthy options; and provide effective support services where children are present.
4. Further Expand Our Understanding of How to Prevent Child Firearm Deaths. Include agencies specializing in public mental health and domestic violence on local CDR teams; collect more complete data regarding circumstances of child firearm deaths.

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