Medical Resident University of Toronto Temerty Faculty of Medicine Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Background: Non-powdered firearms (NPFs) are commonly used in recreation by pediatric populations. Despite being marketed as toys, they can fire projectiles that penetrate tissue, contributing to substantial injury. Governance of NPFs has not been subject to the same scrutiny as powdered firearms. Understanding how governments attempt to prevent and monitor injuries by NPFs is important for development of injury prevention strategies in pediatric patients. Objective: To describe legislative, regulatory, policy and prevention strategies that govern the use, sale, storage, transport and distribution of NPFs in OECD countries. Design/Methods: We conducted a scoping review querying various databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane library, Web of Science, Scopus, and Criminal Justice Abstracts) along with a grey literature search for governance of NPFs in OECD countries published between February 1937 and April 2023. Data were collated into similar governance strategies based on themes of weapon definitions, age restriction, licensing requirements, storage standards, permitted locations of use, and control of sales and transport. Results: We found 51 documents from 15 countries that met inclusion criteria. Our search did not reveal any NPF prevention strategies in the remaining 23 countries included. Definitions of NPFs varied based on: (1) the projectile mechanism (air, spring), (2) the projectile (BB, pellet, plastic), and (3) specific muzzle energy and/or velocity capabilities. There is no OECD consensus on the definition of an NPF. Issuing bodies and the level at which NPFs are regulated also varied; most impose restrictions through national governance, others employ a combination of provincial/state and municipal regulation. Less than one third of OECD countries have formal licensing or certification programs for NPFs, and, when present (e.g., Germany and Japan), they predominately apply to only air guns. Age restriction on purchase, sale, use and requirements for supervision also vary widely from 12 to 25 years. Restrictions on non-permitted locations (school grounds, public spaces) were common across countries with regulations. Storage standards emphasize that NPFs must be stored in a locked container, such as a gun locker.
Conclusion(s): There is a great deal of heterogeneity in how NPFs are defined and governed across OECD countries. While there are common themes, there remains wide variation within these broader groups. Efforts to harmonize definitions and evaluations of existing regulatory strategies should be considered to improve injury surveillance and prevention.
