Doctors to offer free gun locks during checkups in bid to prevent child suicides
NCT ID NCT06886776
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jul 21, 2026 · Updated 4 times
Summary
This study tests a program called S.A.F.E. Firearm in up to 15 Illinois health centers. Pediatric clinicians will talk with parents about storing guns securely and offer a free cable lock during well-child visits. Researchers want to see if training and support help clinics adopt this practice and if it changes how parents store firearms at home.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- S.A.F.E. Firearm program (brief counseling and free cable lock)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could help prevent child suicides by making secure firearm storage a routine part of pediatric checkups.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage implementation study, not a direct test of suicide reduction. Success depends on clinics adopting the program and parents changing behavior.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 1,086 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jul 2026
- Expected to finish
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Jan 2029
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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Children (under 18), adults (18 to 64) and older adults (65 and over)
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: Parent participants * Be a parent, caregiver, or legal guardian of a child ages 0-17 who has a well-visit at a participating health care clinic in the state of Illinois * Attend the child's well-visit Health care personnel * Be employed at a participating health care clinic in the state of Illinois * Aged 18+ years Exclusion Criteria: * None
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Northwestern University
Chicago, Illinois, 60611, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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