Advisor(s)

Christopher Henrich

Document Type

Dissertation

Date of Award

6-18-2026

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

School

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Psychology

Abstract

In the United States, 4,752 children under age 19 died from firearm injuries in 2021. Among children younger than 14, 13% of firearm-related deaths were unintentional. In ad-dition, approximately 40% of children lived in households with firearms in 2021, and in many states, children may legally hunt without adult supervision after completing hunter education training. Although knowledge-based firearm safety education programs have been developed, existing interventions have shown limited effectiveness in improving chil-dren’s firearm safety behaviors. In response, the present study examined children’s firearm safety performance through the lens of the Theory of Planned Behavior and developmental factors relevant to risk-taking behaviors. Specifically, the study investigated whether Theo-ry of Planned Behavior factors explained the gap between firearm safety knowledge and firearm safety intentions, and whether impulse control and cognitive functioning influenced the association between firearm safety intentions and firearm safety behaviors. The study also examined whether the moderating effect impulse control on the intention-behavior rela-tionship would vary based on cognitive function. Participants were 163 children, with a mean age of 11.37. Children completed measures of firearm safety knowledge, firearm safety intentions, firearm-related attitudes, perceived behavioral control, subjective norms, impulse control, and cognitive functioning, and they participated in simulated hunting and shooting tasks. Outcomes included high-risk shooting decisions, protective equipment us-es, and muzzle and trigger-finger discipline. Data analyses were conducted in R using two regression models. Results indicated that cognitive function was a significant positive pre-dictor of using protective equipment, and minority status predicted greater likelihood of shooting in high-risk situations. In addition, firearm safety knowledge was negatively cor-related with high-risk shooting behavior. Findings suggest that firearm safety interventions for children should be developmentally appropriate and should support the cognitive skills involved in safe firearm behavior. Findings also suggest that firearm safety interventions should consider racial differences in firearm experience and build safety skills that are most relevant to children’s backgrounds.

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