Lethal Means Counseling for Gunshot Wound Prevention

Overseen By Justine Stassun, MS

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Disqualifiers: Non-English/Spanish, No contact, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 3

180 Participants Needed

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial aims to prevent gun-related injuries among youth by helping families safely store firearms. It provides guardians of children in mental health crises with counseling on secure firearm storage and offers up to three storage devices, including a lock. This approach seeks to make firearm storage safer and reduce the risk of injuries or suicide among young people. Guardians who own firearms, have children receiving care from the behavioral health team, have phone or email access, and speak English or Spanish might be a good fit. As an unphased trial, this study allows participants to contribute to innovative strategies for enhancing youth safety.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications.

What prior data suggests that this counseling and lock provision is safe?

Research has shown that counseling on safely storing dangerous items like firearms effectively prevents injuries. Studies have found that this counseling can lower the rates of suicides, homicides, and accidental gun deaths. In past efforts with groups such as the National Guard, offering secure storage options effectively prevented firearm injuries.

While specific data on any negative effects of combining this counseling with providing locks is lacking, the counseling itself remains a common practice focused on safety and prevention. Reports of harmful side effects from this approach do not exist, as it mainly involves giving advice and resources to help people store firearms safely. Overall, evidence supports that this method is safe and can effectively reduce injuries related to firearms. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about lethal means counseling with lock provision because it focuses on prevention rather than treatment after the fact. Unlike other gun safety measures that may be reactive, this approach proactively involves guardians by providing them with counseling and secure storage devices to promote safe firearm storage at home. This method emphasizes education and accessibility, aiming to reduce the risk of gunshot injuries through informed and responsible gun ownership. By addressing the issue at the source, it offers a practical and potentially more effective way to prevent gun-related incidents.

What evidence suggests that this counseling and lock provision is effective for reducing firearm injuries in youth?

Research has shown that counseling on safe gun storage can significantly prevent gun-related injuries and deaths. In this trial, guardians of patients admitted to the behavioral health team who identify as firearm owners will receive lethal means counseling and can choose up to three secure storage devices. Studies have found that advising families on safe gun storage can reduce suicides, murders, and accidental shootings. For instance, a study with the U.S. National Guard found that secure gun storage effectively prevents gun injuries. Health care providers have successfully used this counseling to encourage the removal of gun access, especially in homes with individuals at risk of suicide. Providing secure storage devices alongside counseling is a promising approach to making homes with guns safer. ^{1 3 5 6 7}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Kelsey Gastineau

Principal Investigator

Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for guardians of children admitted for acute mental health crises who are awaiting psychiatric hospital placement, own firearms, and can communicate in English or Spanish. They must have phone or email access to receive study information.

Inclusion Criteria

I own a firearm.

My guardian has a phone or email to get study info.

My guardian speaks English or Spanish.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

1 day

1 visit (in-person)

Intervention

Participants receive lethal means counseling and are offered secure storage devices

1 day

1 visit (in-person)

Follow-up

Participants complete an online self-guided follow-up survey 1 month after the educational training

1 month

1 visit (virtual)

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Guardians receiving counseling + lock

Trial Overview The intervention being tested provides counseling on secure firearm storage and a lock device to the guardians. The aim is to see if this approach is feasible and acceptable in an inpatient setting, with the ultimate goal of reducing youth firearm injuries.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Counseling + Lock provision Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Guardians of patients admitted to the behavioral health team who identify as firearm owners will be provided lethal means counseling and offered up to 3 secure storage devices of their choosing.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Lead Sponsor

Trials

922

Recruited

939,000+

Citations

1. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12395793/

Multidisciplinary lethal means safety counseling design ... Lethal means safety counseling (LMSC) is an injury prevention strategy to limit access to firearms, medications, and other means of injury.

2. publichealth.jhu.edu publichealth.jhu.edu/center-for-gun-violence-solutions/lethal-means-safety-counseling

Lethal Means Safety Counseling | Center for Gun Violence ... Lethal means safety counseling can be used to help prevent suicides, homicides, unintentional gun deaths, and nonfatal firearm injuries. What Is Lethal Means ...

3. ysph.yale.edu ysph.yale.edu/research/interdepartmental-foci/firearm-injury-prevention/data-and-solution/

Data & The Solutions - Yale School of Public Health Health care providers can screen people with suicidal thoughts for firearm access and counsel them on removing access to lethal means. The public health ...

4. academic.oup.com academic.oup.com/milmed/article/189/Supplement_3/510/7735924

Project Safe Guard: Evaluating a Lethal Means Safety ... The purpose of this paper is to examine a scalable secure firearm storage intervention in the U.S. National Guard (NG) in preventing firearm ...

5. publications.aap.org publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/150/6/e2022060070/189686/Firearm-Related-Injuries-and-Deaths-in-Children

Firearm-Related Injuries and Deaths in Children and Youth Firearms have the highest fatality rate (>90%) compared with other methods of suicide.38 Lethal means counseling in households with individuals ...

6. injepijournal.biomedcentral.com injepijournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40621-025-00599-5

Multidisciplinary lethal means safety counseling design and ... Lethal means safety counseling (LMSC) is an injury prevention strategy to limit access to firearms, medications, and other means of injury.

7. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39160836/

Evaluating a Lethal Means Safety Intervention to Reduce ... The purpose of this paper is to examine a scalable secure firearm storage intervention in the US National Guard (NG) in preventing firearm injury and suicide.