The Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Pediatric Firearm Injuries

* Abbreviations: COVID-19 — : coronavirus disease 2019 NICS — : National Instant Criminal Background Check System In this issue of Pediatrics, Cohen et al1 address the epidemic of pediatric firearm injuries through the lens of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The authors used the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) to identify new gun purchases and the Gun Violence Archive to identify firearm injuries in children <12 years of age. The authors conclude that there has “been a surge in firearm injuries in young children and inflicted by young children” during the first 6 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors also report these incidents correlate with an increase in new firearm ownership. Finally, the authors suggest that temporary national policies should be enacted to address firearm safety for children in the context of the pandemic. In the study, Cohen et al1 assume that NICS background checks are a proxy for new firearm ownership. In other studies, researchers have found that the increase in NICS background checks was likely in part due to purchases made by first time gun owners; however, it is difficult to determine what percentage of firearm purchases were made by new gun … Address correspondence to Teresa M. Bell, PhD, Departments of Surgery and Population Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Utah, 30 N 1900 E, Room 2C430, Salt Lake City, UT 84132. E-mail: teresa.bell{at}hsc.utah.edu