Pediatric nurses can assess children and adolescents for risk factors related to violence. Families that own firearms must be educated about their safe use and storage. The presence of a gun in a household increases the risk of suicide by about fivefold and the risk of homicide by about threefold. Legislative efforts may focus on preventing specific groups, such as felons and children, from having access to firearms. Technologic changes such as childproof safety devices and loading indicators could improve the safety of firearms.