Target Safety: a Collaboration of Firearm Retailers and Health Care to Address Suicide Prevention

The purpose of the study is to understand how culturally competent messaging on secure firearm storage and temporary out-of-home storage (TOHS) is perceived and accepted by firearm owners.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Firearm Injury; Suicide Due to Use of Firearm
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Temporary out-of-home storage (TOHS) training

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 240
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Sandra McKay, MD; Phone Number: (713) 500-5666; Email: Sandra.McKay@uth.tmc.edu
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Kritika Suri; Phone Number: (713) 500-5580; Email: Kritika.Suri@uth.tmc.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • Texas
    • Houston, Texas, United States, 77030
      • Recruiting
      • The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
      • Contact: Sandra McKay, MD; Phone Number: (713) 500-5666; Email: Sandra.McKay@uth.tmc.edu
      • Contact: Kritika Suri; Phone Number: (713) 500-5580; Email: Kritika.Suri@uth.tmc.edu

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Gun store owners, firearm range owners, and healthcare providers in the greater Houston area

Exclusion Criteria:

• Non-English or Spanish speakers

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: Temporary out-of-home storage (TOHS) training

Behavioral: Temporary out-of-home storage (TOHS) training; The intervention will consist of a brief conversation with the firearm owner, which will include asking about their planned storage practices, providing education on secure storage options, assessing their knowledge about TOHS, and providing subsequent education about TOHS. The intervention is designed to be brief and conversational, taking no more than 5 minutes. The conversation will be guided by a brochure developed by our expert team, and firearm owners will be directed to additional resources for further information

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Acceptability of TOHS education as assessed by the likert scale on the post educational survey	The survey will be reported categorically as Not at all, Slightly, Moderately, Very, and Extremely	post intervention (about 6 weeks after baseline)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Appropriateness of the intervention's venue (i.e., location for storage services) as assessed by the post educational survey	There are 3 questions and each is reported categorically as yes or no	post intervention (about 6 weeks after baseline)
Likelihood to talk to family and friends about TOHS as assessed the post educational survey	This is a 2 item questionnaire and each will be categorically reported as yes or no	post intervention (about 6 weeks after baseline)
Adoptability of TOHS by firearm owners as assessed by the likert scale on the post educational survey	This will be reported categorically as Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neutral, Agree or Strongly Agree	post intervention (about 6 weeks after baseline)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston
• Collaborators: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Sandra McKay, MD, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): August 15, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): January 30, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): January 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: October 30, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 30, 2025
• First Posted (Estimated): November 3, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): November 3, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 30, 2025
• Last Verified: October 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: temporary out-of-home storage (TOHS).
• Other Study ID Numbers: HSC-MS-25-0401

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No