Scoping Review Finds Limited Evidence on Firearm-Safety Counseling Training

Secure firearm storage can create time and distance between a suicidal crisis and access to a firearm, but physicians may not routinely counsel patients about storage. This scoping review searched six databases for English-language articles published through April 9, 2025, using Joanna Briggs Institute methods and PRISMA-ScR reporting. Eligible articles addressed physician training or recommendations for training on firearm secure storage for suicide prevention.

The review included 40 articles: 21 commentaries offering training recommendations and 19 describing development or implementation of physician education. Training content varied and included conversation strategies, suicide-related information, and storage methods and devices. Nineteen articles reported participant details; emergency medicine and pediatrics each appeared in four studies, and psychiatry in three. Most studies reporting outcomes described increased knowledge and more favorable attitudes, confidence, or comfort regarding firearm-safety counseling.

The authors characterize the literature as limited but promising and call for standardized, evidence-based curricula. Because this was a scoping review, it did not assess the quality of individual studies; the findings do not establish whether training changes clinical practice or reduces suicide. The review was limited to English-language publications.