• J H Price and L Oden.
• College of Health and Human Services, University of Toledo, Ohio, USA. jprice@utnet.utoledo.edu
• Public Health Rep. 1999 Nov 1;114(6):533-9.

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to gather data regarding local public health departments' involvement in activities to prevent firearm-related morbidity and mortality.MethodsA questionnaire was sent to local public health departments serving cities with populations > or =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.ResultsAlmost 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%).ConclusionsDespite 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.

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