Do you have guns in your home? Are they stored securely enough that children can’t access them?
Do your family members have guns in their homes? Are they stored securely enough that children can’t access them?
Do your kids’ friends have gun in their homes? Are they stored securely enough that children can’t access them?
Have you ever asked yourself or others these questions?
You should.
See, kids and guns are a recipe for accidents. According to a new study in the journal Hospital Pediatrics, 20,000 kids in the U.S. are treated for gun injuries every year.
Every. Year.
The study found that kids are more likely than adults to be victims of accidental gun violence. And while the study didn’t say this, anyone who has spent time around kids — especially young kids — knows that their curiosity is high and their impulse control is low.
You should teach your kids what to do if they encounter a gun, but we as adults should do what we can to prevent that from happening in the first place.
One group of adults who can be especially helpful on that front is pediatricians. Some of them are hoping to be part of an effort to reduce gun accidents by talking to parents about gun safety. At a meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies meeting this year, doctors were urged to discuss gun safety because studies show that people will improve safety efforts after being reminded to do so.
This might sound obvious, but until recently there were actual laws preventing doctors from having these conversations. A recent court decision just overturned such a law in Florida.
I’ll tell you that I’ve been talking to other parents about gun storage since Sandy Hook. I have a whole safety spiel I give before kids come over to my house for the first time — I share our firearms status, talk about the pets we have, and I ask about food allergies. On the flip side, I let parents who have invited my kids over know that they like pets, have no food allergies, and then I ask about guns in their home.
It’s 15 seconds of awkward followed by a refreshing sense of peace of mind.
I feel strongly that conversations like these — conducted respectfully — do a lot to promote gun safety, and it’s nice to know that research backs me up.
So as you make your summer plans to go visiting friends and family, don’t be afraid to ask about guns. It might prevent your kid from becoming a statistic.
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This story by Rebekah Kuschmider originally appeared on Ravishly, a feminist news+culture website. Follow us on Twitter & Facebook and check out these related stories:
Photo credit: Getty Images
Having that advice come from a place of authority is also helpful for instilling the importance of the issue. So many accidental shootings can be prevented if children are aware of the dangers and aren’t given access to the weapon in the first place. Thanks for sharing!
In addition to telling a child about the dangers of guns, you ought to demonstrate them. They need to comprehend the damage they can do. They need to experience how scary they can be. As an example of how to do this, I suggest taking your child and a firearm to an outdoor gun range, or an open field where it’s safe to shoot. At the gun range, they will quickly find out just how loud and startling a gunshot can be. If going to a range where other shooters are already present, you wouldn’t even need to take your… Read more »
Keep no gun in your house is the best solution. Even tough you have done perfect protection, but the potential hazard still exists. We should remember that kids want to know what we say to them ‘don’t try to use this gun. It is very dangerous’.
I believe this will encourage them to explore more about.
The government must control gun usage and distribution tighter than before.
That’s not going to be the best solution should you find yourself in a situation where you need a gun to protect yourself. Sometimes, for example, restraining orders, door locks, and phone calls to 911 aren’t enough to protect a woman and her children from her crazy ex-boyfriend/ex-husband.