Children and firearms: learn safety precautions

  • Published
  • By Compiled from staff reports
  • 354th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  All children are potentially at risk of unintentional firearm injury. However, knowing how and why injuries occur, and taking action, can substantially reduce that risk. 

Nearly all childhood unintentional shooting deaths occur in or around the home. Half occur in the home of the victim, and nearly 40 percent occur at a friend or relative's house. 

Most of these deaths involve guns that have been kept loaded and accessible to children and occur when children play with loaded guns. In one recent study of parents of children ages 4 to 12, more than half reported storing a firearm loaded or unlocked in their home. Approximately one-third of families with children (representing more than 22 million children in 11 million homes) keep at least one gun in the home. 

Other risk factors:
· Unintentional shootings occur most often when children are unsupervised and out of school. They tend to occur in the late afternoon (peaking between 4 and 5 p.m.), during the weekend, and during the summer months and holiday season. 

· Rates of unintentional firearm-related injury are higher in rural areas, where people are more likely to own firearms. Shootings in rural areas are more likely to occur outdoors with a shotgun or rifle; in cities, most shootings occur indoors with a handgun. 

· Boys are far more likely to be injured and die from firearm-related incidents than girls. Of children killed in unintentional shootings, nearly 80 percent are male. 

· Unrealistic perceptions of children's abilities and behavior are common factors in these incidents. Parents frequently misperceive a child's ability to gain access to and fire a gun, to distinguish between real and toy guns, to make good judgments about handling a gun, and to consistently follow gun safety rules. 

Here's what gun owners can do:
· If you have children in the home, any gun is a potential danger to them. Seriously consider the risks. 

· Store firearms unloaded, locked up and out of children's reach. 

· Store ammunition in a separate, locked location. 

· Use quality gun locks, lock boxes or gun safes on every firearm. Gun locks, when correctly installed, prevent firearms from being discharged without the lock being removed. 

· Keep gun storage keys and lock combinations hidden in a separate location.
Nothing outweighs the loss or serious injury of a child. Storing firearms safely and reducing their accessibility are essential steps in protecting our children. 

Information courtesy of the National Safe Kids Foundation