CDPH Violence Prevention Initiative Publishes Reports on Firearms, Violent Deaths

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Injury and Violence Prevention Branch recently released a series of resources and information on firearm storage practices and violent deaths in California.

The first report, “California Household Firearm Storage Practices, 2017-2019,” uses data from the 2017-2019 California Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and finds that one in five California adults reported a household firearm. Of those who reported a firearm, one in ten reported storing the firearm unsafely (loaded and unlocked). CDPH notes that easy access to loaded firearms may contribute to firearm injuries through unintentional or impulsive discharge. Unsafe firearm storage was most commonly reported among older adults, males, veterans, and those without children in their household.

CDPH Injury and Violence Prevention Branch also released a series of new injury data briefs and an infographic produced from the California Violent Death Reporting System (CalVRDS). The briefs cover suicide, homicide, firearm-related deaths, and violent deaths involving multiple victims using data from 2018. Each brief summarizes vital statistics data and supplemental data from coroner or medical examiner and law enforcement reports to identify trends and circumstances in violent deaths in California. The resources include:

• Fact Sheet: Homicide in California, 2018
• Fact Sheet: Monitoring Firearm-Related Deaths in California, 2018
• Fact Sheet: Suicide in California, 2018
• Fact Sheet: Violent Deaths Involving Multiple Victims in California, 2017-2018
• Infographic: Suicide in California, 2018

Additional information about the CDPH Injury and Violence Prevention Branch is available here.