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?
[Love this “stat”. Define: children ]
Black men under 27, black girls under 12 and all whites under 18.
Yes, and this includes “child” criminals shot while shooting
at police, or shot during their commission of a crime.
The Eddie Eagle GunSafe® Program teaches children in pre-K through third grade four important steps to take if they find a gun. These steps are presented by the program's mascot, Eddie Eagle®, in an easy-to-remember format consisting of the following simple rules:
If you see a gun:
STOP!
Don't Touch.
Leave the Area.
Tell an Adult.
Read about it here:
I know how to be safe with firearms, in cars, on a bike and around a pool.
Then again, I’m not dumb, and I’m 22.
I’m just guessing, but I bet more children die at the hands of “moms” every year than die in firearms accidents.
Seems like I hear a lot more about kids being drowned in bathtubs, beaten with rocks, left to cook in cars, burned with scalding water, and otherwise abused, entrusted to abusive crack-head boyfriends, or deliberately neglected to death by mothers than I hear about firearms accidents. And I’m certain the press makes sure we hear about every gun accident over and over and over again!
Thus, mothers are more dangerous to children than guns. How’s that for “momlogic?”
When you did that, did you let your child/children fire it? What caliber?
Did you at least just use dry cotton balls?
Hey now, those video games can teach small-squad tactics.
Nothing like laying the other team’s well-made plans to waste. Good example is convoy, if the rest of the team listens.
I salute you! Good job. It is incidents such as yours that chip away at the foundation of lies created by the left.
You, and others like you, are why we are winning!
It was about 16 years ago..., but yes, I let my 7 year old step-son fire a handgun at a can of tomato soup. I believe he had shot his sister or cousin with a BB gun so I sat him down and gave him a gun safety lesson that ended with me assisting him to aim and fire a real gun. (9mm semi-auto) I honestly don’t remember what hearing protection I gave him, but I remember I wanted him to hear, see and understand what happens when you point a real gun at someone.
Geeee that’s almost as many kids that die from being left in over heated cars.
To arrive at these numbers, they have to define a kid as anyone under 30. This slight of bulldozer allows them to gather all the gangsters as ‘kids.’
Sounds good
I guess just make sure there’s something to cut out some sound. I remember I was on the firing line one day, and I think a guy was shooting some ballsy cartridge, don’t know what it was. First time he fired it scared the heck out of me. I held up the target and I felt the paper vibrate from every round.
I also have about a 35% hearing loss in the right ear, but that’s a whole different story.
I would guess make sure whatever kids you teach how to handle a firearm, make sure they have the best hearing protection you can find.
Also, whenever I have kids, I’m not entirely sure how I’d go about teaching them about firearms.
Arthur, what aren't you a member of? ;o)
If I saw that hanging in my neighborhood I would be inclined to tear it down and apart, and I don’t even have guns or kids (yet).
“Arthur, what aren’t you a member of? ;o)”
The “Group of Common Sense.”
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