Prevention: Examining the Theory of Planned Behavior and Its Role in Promoting Firearm Safety in Households
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Melissa Osborne
Department
WCHHS – Nursing
Abstract
Firearm injury is the leading causes of death in children in the United States. Nearly 29% of unintentional firearm deaths among children occurred in those aged 0-5 years old (Miller et al., 2025). The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) includes three main constructs: attitudes, norms, and perceived behaviors. It assumes that individuals have full control over their actions. It is important to understand TPB in the context of prevention strategies for firearm related injuries. This study considers the factors that shape parents' choices and behaviors around safe firearm storage. We explored how parents’ firearm storage behaviors can be described using the TPB. This study used a survey of 768 parents who were recruited through Qualtrics Panels, groups of both firearm owners and non-firearm owners. We descriptively examined storage behavior in the context of each of the TPB constructs. We found that 54% of parents reported that keeping firearms locked was “very good”, while an additional 23% rated it as “good”. Considering subjective norms, 47%, nearly half of respondents completely agreed that their friends would store firearms securely. Moreover, 63% stated they had complete control over their firearm, while 18% reported almost complete control. However, around 52% of parents explained that they leave guns unlocked and loaded but believed in their child’s ability to recognize a real gun from a fake gun (Farah et al., 1999). Parents may be likely to safely store firearms safely when they value safety, feel peer support, and have confidence in their control. This study represents the initial step in linking the TPB to align with intervention strategies to tailor to encourage safe firearm storage and reduce preventable childhood injuries. Future research will follow the TPB constructs in relation to parents' intention to store firearms securely and inform intervention strategies.
Disciplines
Other Social and Behavioral Sciences | Public Health Education and Promotion
Prevention: Examining the Theory of Planned Behavior and Its Role in Promoting Firearm Safety in Households
Firearm injury is the leading causes of death in children in the United States. Nearly 29% of unintentional firearm deaths among children occurred in those aged 0-5 years old (Miller et al., 2025). The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) includes three main constructs: attitudes, norms, and perceived behaviors. It assumes that individuals have full control over their actions. It is important to understand TPB in the context of prevention strategies for firearm related injuries. This study considers the factors that shape parents' choices and behaviors around safe firearm storage. We explored how parents’ firearm storage behaviors can be described using the TPB. This study used a survey of 768 parents who were recruited through Qualtrics Panels, groups of both firearm owners and non-firearm owners. We descriptively examined storage behavior in the context of each of the TPB constructs. We found that 54% of parents reported that keeping firearms locked was “very good”, while an additional 23% rated it as “good”. Considering subjective norms, 47%, nearly half of respondents completely agreed that their friends would store firearms securely. Moreover, 63% stated they had complete control over their firearm, while 18% reported almost complete control. However, around 52% of parents explained that they leave guns unlocked and loaded but believed in their child’s ability to recognize a real gun from a fake gun (Farah et al., 1999). Parents may be likely to safely store firearms safely when they value safety, feel peer support, and have confidence in their control. This study represents the initial step in linking the TPB to align with intervention strategies to tailor to encourage safe firearm storage and reduce preventable childhood injuries. Future research will follow the TPB constructs in relation to parents' intention to store firearms securely and inform intervention strategies.