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Black firearm owners broadly support child-focused gun safety policies, revealing strong potential for community-driven violence prevention efforts.  

The study published in the June 2025 issue of BMC Pediatrics explored firearm policy views among Black firearm owners in the context of rising household gun ownership increasing concerns about child safety and risk of homicide and suicide, as most fatal firearm injuries among children occur at home occur at home.  

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to evaluate support for child-safety-related firearm policies among Black firearm owners and to assess differences based on the presence of children in the household.  

They utilized data from the 2023 wave of the National Survey of Gun Policy, conducted through the National Opinion Research Center (NORC’s) AmeriSpeak Panel, and 177 Black respondents self-identified as firearm owners and reported whether children resided in their household, however 14 firearm-related policies relevant to youth safety, exposure, and violence were assessed using a binary support measure derived from a 5-point Likert scale. Survey weights were applied to correct sampling imbalances. Survey-weighted proportions (WPs) and 95% CIs were calculated to compare group differences.  

The results showed that Black firearm owners with children in the home (n = 65) were generally younger, reported lower income levels, and were more likely to reside in metropolitan areas than those without children in the home (n = 112). Over 60% support was observed for 11 out of 14 child-safety-related firearm policies across both groups, with minimal variation. A significant difference emerged for only 1 policy—temporary firearm removal by law enforcement from individuals posing an immediate threat. Support for this policy was 65% (CI: 0.51–0.79) among owners with children and 85% (CI: 0.77–0.93) among those without children in the home.  

Investigators concluded that Black firearm owners represented a demographically varied group and appeared open to child-focused firearm safety policies and interventions 

Source: bmcpediatr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12887-025-05781-8