Current statistics show that at least a third of households in the United States own guns and/or have guns in the home.
While this may not be a surprising figure, it’s something to think about. There are an estimated 4.6 million children that live with unlocked, loaded guns, which poses an incredible risk to their safety, as well as your own. This is a frightening statistic, especially as gun violence is at an all-time high in the U.S. today. Kids are curious by nature, and most of them developmentally are not ready to be safe with guns or other weapons, no matter how mature they may be.
Another scary statistic is that the leading cause of death for children and teens is firearms, whether accidental or intentional, and this includes suicides, homicides, and accidental shootings. In fact, between 2015 and 2020 the number of unintentional shootings by children were 2,070, and 765 of those resulted in deaths, and 1,366 of those were non-fatal gun injuries.
This brings up the importance of gun safety and keeping your children safe if you or someone you know has guns in the home that may be easily accessed or otherwise loaded and unlocked. So how can you keep kids safe? Keep reading below!
• Safe storage. ALL guns in your home should be locked, unloaded, with the ammunition stored separately. Ensure children and teens can’t access keys, safe codes, or the combination to gun safes in the home, but also don’t leave unlocked guns in the car or anywhere else on your property either.
• Safe use. When using the firearm for hunting or target practice, keep the safety on until you are ready to fire it. Before setting the gun down, ALWAYS unload it. As much as your child may want to take a turn shooting, DO NOT let them, as this can be a really bad idea and potential hurt or kill someone.
• Talk to other parents about gun safety before letting your child spend time at their friend’s house. It’s important to have a discussion with your child’s friend’s parents to ensure that they either don’t have guns in the home, or if they do, that they are safely stored, locked up and unloaded, with the ammunition stored separately to prevent gun related injuries, deaths and accidents.
• Talk to your children about the importance of gun safety in age-appropriate terms they will understand. Remind them that if they ever come across a gun, they MUST stay away from it and to tell you immediately.
To learn more about gun safety and keeping your children safe from gun-related incidents, click here.