#SaferStorage: Preventing Child Gun Injuries

The toll of gun injuries among children is truly staggering. In the United States, a child or teen is killed with a gun every 2 hours and 48 minutes, and America represents 91% of gun deaths among wealthy countries in the world. Among U.S. families with guns in the home, 75% of children 5-14 years old report knowing where the guns are stored and 22% report handling a gun in the home without their parents’ knowledge.

This high level of access that children have to guns is unprecedented and increasing, contributing to high rates of accidental injuries, suicide or self-harm via guns, and school shootings and homicides.

The American Academy of Pediatrics affirms that the safest home for a child or teen is one without firearms. In the cases where there is a gun in your home, here are simple steps to help reduce the risk of injuries:

1. Keep any household guns in a locked space.
2. Keep all guns unloaded of ammunition.
3. Store guns and ammunition separately.

Your child’s doctor, local community center or police department likely has access to affordable or free lock boxes. Visit childsafe.org to find a free child safety kit near you. Remember, hidden does not necessarily mean safe. Firearms should both be out of reach and locked away.

Once you have safely secured any guns in your home, make sure to regularly ASK friends and family about weapons in their home before your child might visit. You might start the conversation by saying: “My kid is pretty curious, and our doctor recommended that I ask – is there an unlocked gun where my child will play?”

If your family or community has been affected by gun violence and you are looking for support or guidance, reach out to your family doctor for community-based resources on coping, resilience, and support after such a tragedy. 

If you want to learn more from experts on firearm safety and advocate for a safer environment for our children and communities, join the Trainees for Child Injury Prevention (T4CIP) on October 27, 2021 by following the hashtag #SaferStorage or the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital @CIRPatNCH.

References:

Firearm-Related Injuries Affecting the Pediatric Population. COUNCIL ON INJURY, VIOLENCE, AND POISON PREVENTION EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. Pediatrics Nov 2012, 130 (5) e1416-e1423; DOI: 10.1542/peds.2012-2481