Seminars in pediatric surgery: advocacy issue firearm policies to keep kids safe: what works & what doesn't

Addressing the number one killer of kids, firearms, as a public health crisis involves a multitude of strategies. Advocacy and policy are two interconnected approaches to firearm injury prevention. The breadth of firearm policies and variable quality of data assessing their outcome may leave a potential advocate asking where to start and what works. Pediatric surgeons care for pediatric firearm victims clinically and if motivated to engage in policy advocacy, here we aim to guide the surgeon towards data driven policies with impact to optimize efficiency of advocacy time and efforts. Specific gun policies that may impact children which are discuss include child access prevention laws, extreme risk and domestic violence protective orders as well as universal background checks and minimum age requirements. Assault weapons and guns in schools are worth mention as they may also affect children. We review which firearm policies potentially have the greatest impact on kid's health and safety with a focus on evidence-based policy.