Children's and women's ability to fire handguns. The Pediatric Practice Research Group
S. M. Naureckas, C. Galanter, E. T. Naureckas, M. Donovan and K. K. Christoffel
Department of Pediatrics, Children's Memorial Hospital, Northwestern University, Chicago, Ill, USA.
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate whether strength differences between children and
women might keep children from firing handguns and to determine how many
young children can fire available handguns. DESIGN: One- and two-index
finger trigger-pull strength was tested using a standard protocol. Data on
trigger-pull settings of 64 commercially available handguns were obtained.
SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Convenience sample of well children and their
mothers at four Chicago (Ill)-area pediatric practices for health
supervision visits, and of siblings of emergency department patients,
during an 8-week period. INTERVENTION: None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: One- and
two-index finger trigger-pull strength of mothers and children. RESULTS:
Twenty-five percent of 3- to 4-year-olds, 70% of 5- to 6-year-olds, and 90%
of 7- to 8-year-olds have a two-finger trigger-pull strength of at least 10
lb, the fifth percentile one-finger trigger-pull strength of adult women.
Forty (62.5%) of 64 handguns require trigger-pull strength of less than 5
lb; 19 (30%) of 64 require 5 to 10 lb. CONCLUSIONS: Significant overlap
exists in the trigger-pull strength of young children and women, limiting
the potential use of increased trigger-pull settings to discourage firearm
discharge by children. Young children are strong enough to fire many
handguns now in circulation.
