Posted on 08/02/2008 4:43:38 AM PDT by marktwain
This week, a toddler fatally shot himself after finding a gun in his parent's car. According to Jackson, Miss., authorities, the 3-year-old was sitting in the car at a gas station when he found the gun in the front seat and shot himself in the face. Police questioned the boy's parents, but no charges have been filed.
But these aren't freak accidents. More than 500 children die annually from accidental gunshots. Some shoot themselves, while others kill friends or siblings after discovering a gun.
Here are more scary stats: Americans own 200 million firearms, and 35 percent of homes contain at least one gun. Last year, a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found more than 1.7 million children live in homes with loaded and unlocked guns.
And if you do own a gun and think your kid won't get to it, listen to this: A recent study published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine found 39 percent of kids knew where their parent's guns were stored, while 22 percent said they had handled the weapons despite adult's warnings to stay away. What's more, age was not a factor in whether children had played with the guns -- 5-year-olds were just as likely to report doing so as 14-year-olds.
Here are just a few heartbreaking cases:
-On July 19, 4-year-old Dylan Jackson shot himself to death after finding a loaded gun at a friend's home during a birthday party.
- A 3-year-old Southeast Washington boy shot himself in the foot and grazed his hand while playing with his father's gun -- which he found lying on the floor.
- A 2-year-old Tampa boy shot himself in the chest with a loaded 9 mm he found in his parent's couch while playing.
- Last February, a 13-year-old boy shot himself with a semiautomatic handgun in the home of his guardian, a Maryland police officer.
- The 10-year-old son of a New York City police officer died after shooting himself in the face with his father's loaded revolver. The boy found the weapon on a shelf in the basement while looking for a ball his mom had hidden.
Is there a way to stop these senseless deaths?
The NRA (National Rifle Association) sponsors classes that teach children if they find a gun to leave the area and inform an adult, but studies show kids who take these classes are no less likely to play with guns than kids who don't attend class.
"The biggest mistake parents make is assuming their child doesn't know where the gun in the house is," says Matthew Miller, associate director of the Harvard Injury Control Research Center. "Kids are smart and if they know there's a firearm in the house, they'll probably figure out a way to get to it."
"We can't expect children to act like adults," he adds. "Parents monitor their kid's diet, curfew, and social life but when it comes to guns, parents often just say, 'Respect the gun, it's off limits' or 'Guns are dangerous.' That type of parenting just doesn't work."
So should parents not tell kids if there's a gun in the home? "First, you have to weigh whether or not you really need a weapon," says Miller. "Do the benefits outweigh the risks? If the answer is yes, you must take safety precautions."
"Be honest with your children," says Miller. "Tell them there is a firearm in the home but explicitly explain that guns are fatal, no matter how children handle them. Don't keep the gun loaded and store the ammunition in a locked safe and carry the key with you at all times. Also, don't hide the combination and don't give it an obvious numerical password."
"The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends pediatricians ask parents about guns in their home in an effort called 'Anticipatory Guidance' which attempts to keep children safe in cars, on bikes, and around swimming pools," says Miller. "It's rare that doctors initiate this conversation, but they should."
"Also, ask the parents of your children's friends if they keep guns at home and if kids will be playing where they're stored," added Miller. "Don't worry about appearing intrusive. It's better to seem pushy and be safe."
Do you think parents should keep guns in their home with children present?
In fact, fatal firearm accidents are extremely rare for toddlers (about 10 in a year, many more die in accidents involving 5 gallon buckets).
Why is your pediatrician questioning your child about where you keep your guns? I would certainly tell him it was none of his business.
As to this “study”, I wonder how many children die of drowning in backyard swimming pools each year. I don’t see stories telling parents to fill in pools to “save the children.”
Absolute invasion of privacy, and using children to do it.
“The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends pediatricians ask parents about guns in their home in an effort called ‘Anticipatory Guidance’”
This is hilarious. If a DR asked one of my kids where our guns were, they would point at me.
But far more children drown every year than are killed by firearms.
Also, the MSM and assorted Leftists like to cite how many “children” are killed by firearms every year. Unfortunately for the truth, however, their definition of children includes toddlers up to the age of 23, which includes a great number of firearms-related deaths as a result of gang violence.
Leftists are liars.
A demonstration of a stuffed animal on a piece of wood was enough to make my kids see what guns can do. Plus ours is as tall as them. It’d be hard for them to “play” with it. I hope.
Of course, not much you can with a 2 year old. EXCEPT PUT IT UP! Leaving a gun lying on the front seat of a car is just stupid. Sad and stupid.
I don’t know the statistics but I would say many more children die each year from prescription drug reactions, or overdoses and I’m sure many more die from the results of leftist policies. And besides the second Amendment does not cover parental stupidity nor should it be interpreted that way.
Almost three times as many children under 10 die from accidental drowning each year. Maybe we should outlaw swimming pools first?
Love this "stat". Define: children
More children die from Child Protection Services each year than from guns.
There has been a recent rash of shark attacks on children in the oceans around the U.S. I think sharks should be banned. Or, at the very least, Congress could pass a law forbidding sharks from biting children.
When the statistics include children such as 20-year-old gangbangers... *shrug*
there, that's better..
We will start with the Assault Sharks, with the bayonet lugs and extended magazines. Then we will slowly increment it from there and none will realize it till we have the Glorious Red Dawn...
No Pools! No trees! Children forbidden to ride in vehicles!
Uh, that should take care of it.
When politicians use “the children” to justify their actions, it is “political pedophilia”.
Routing hogwash. To get to this number you have to include 18 and 19 year-olds killed in the commission of felonies or in gun duels in the ‘hood.
And the children are “defenseless” against political pedophilia.
How many children weres saved with families owning guns? No stats on that.
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