Survey: Few doctors address gun safety despite more deaths among kids
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Doctors seldom ask their patients about whether they keep firearms at home or discuss gun safety with them, a new survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation found.
Why it matters: Gun deaths are steadily increasing among children and teens nationwide, and gun violence is the leading cause of premature death in the United States. Some professional medical groups consider it a public health crisis.
By the numbers: Just 14% of adults surveyed by KFF in March said their health care provider has asked them about gun ownership, and just 26% of adults said their child's pediatrician asked about having guns in the home.
- One in five adults say they have been threatened with a gun at least once in their life, and one in five say a family member has been killed with a gun, including by suicide.
- Black and Hispanic adults bear a disproportionate burden from gun violence, the KFF survey found.
The United States is alone among developed nations in having firearm deaths account for one of the top four causes of mortality and the leading cause of death for children and teens.
