school - associated firearm violence among 
 children and adolescents is a national public 
 concern . the objective of this study was to 
 determine the accessibility of firearms , methods 
 of firearm access and firearm safety knowledge 
 among middle and high school students in orange 
 county , california . after permission from school officials and 
 parents was obtained , a 24-question survey was 
 distributed to 176 students in grades 6 through 12 
 at four schools in orange county . , cross tabulations were 
 performed to determine which factors were 
 associated with access to guns , having fired a 
 gun , and firearm possession at school . seventy - seven ( 45% ) were male , 121 ( 69% ) hispanic , 
 and 171 ( 94% ) were of middle income . four 
 participants ( 2.3% ) admitted to gang involvement , 
 47 ( 26.7% ) had fired a gun . those more likely to 
 have fired a gun appeared to be non - hispanic males 
 ( p= 0.001 ) . older students and those in grades 9 to 12 
 were more likely to have access to a gun ( p= 
 0.01 ) , which they stated could be obtained from 
 their homes , friends or relatives ( 4.5% to 22% ) . two ( 1.1% ) students stated that they had thought 
 of using a gun at school . one hundred one students 
 ( 62% ) were taught firearm safety by their 
 parent(s ) . almost half of the students in this study 
 acknowledged that they could gain access to a gun 
 and two students had thought about using a gun at 
 school . firearm education , safety and counseling 
 are of paramount importance to ensure safety among 
 school youths .