Dr. Bob: I read about accidental deaths in children due to guns it seems like every day. We have guns at our house, but my husband assures me that they are unloaded or locked up. We have two children, ages 3 and 6. What precautions should we take to be sure that they are safe?
Answer: I share your concerns about guns and children. Firearms are now the leading cause of death in children. That statistic should come as shocking to a society that values its children. We have saved thousands of lives with immunizations, yet we have no “shot” to protect our children from death from firearms.
It is estimated that 1/3 of US homes have firearms and that 4.6 million children lives in homes with unlocked and loaded guns. I find that statistic staggering but unfortunately not surprising when we read about accidental death in children.
There are multiple things that parents can do to protect their children –
- Start firearm safety at an early age. Just like you don’t want your child to touch a hot stove or put their fingers into a wall socket, they should not touch a firearm until proper safety measures and supervision is in place.
- Instruct your children about the lethal consequences of guns. We don’t want our children to run into the street or run in a parking lot. We instruct them about the hazard of cars. Likewise, they need a proper warning about the lethal nature of guns.
- Enroll your children in firearm safety and firearm use classes if they will be using guns in the future for recreational shooting or hunting.
- Firearms should be stowed in a locked cabinet with key access only known to the parents.
- Firearms should not be loaded, even when stored in a cabinet. Unauthorized access (like from a teen) could lead to disastrous results.
- The ammunition for firearms should be locked in a separate place.
- A handgun should have a separate gun lock. These are now available in multiple places and often for free. Check with your pediatrician.
- Ask about the presence of firearms if they are going to a friend’s home to play. That might seem like an obtrusive question, but one-third of unintentional shootings occur in other places like a neighbor’s house, a friend’s house or in the home of a relative. Your child’s safety should always take precedent over any uncomfortable questions.
- As children age, please be aware of the ability to find ways to overcome your safety measure. This point is so important since childhood/teen depression is at an all-time high. Folks that are depressed are far too likely to use firearms. Suicide rates are much higher in homes with firearms. And now almost half of teenage suicides involve a firearm.
- Know your child’s mental health. This point might seem unrelated to firearm safety, but it is integrally tied to it. If you know or sense some mental health issues, seek professional help AND make sure that the firearms are not accessible.
As a pediatrician, I am very concerned about our society’s cavalier approach to guns. We have glorified them in the media. We have made them easily accessible to too many folks with inadequate training or maturity. So, it is so important for parents to take all of the necessary steps to protect their children and all of our children. We all have a role in assuring that our children can grow and thrive.
Dr. Saul is Professor of Pediatrics (Emeritus) at Prisma Health and his website is www.mychildrenschildren.com. Contact Dr. Bob at askdrbobsaul@gmail.com with more questions.