Are guns in the home keeping your children safe?
It's usually not the case. As a matter of fact, there are a number of stories highlighting that one of the largest risk factors for teen suicide is the presence of a gun in the home.
Are guns in the home keeping your children safe?
Do you think guns in the home make your children safer? It’s usually not the case. Last January, high school student Anthony Krueger locked himself in his room and shot himself under the chin twice after his mother called the police about his drug use. Stories like this highlight that one of the largest risk factors for teen suicide is the presence of a gun in the home.
In Krueger’s case, the 17-year-old from Dover, Del. survived, but faces a long slow recovery from his injuries . Without access to a gun, an emotional argument can lead to broken doors and objects, screaming, tears and even a fist fight, but rarely does it end in death. With a gun present, the circumstances change.
Krueger’s mother had bought the gun for protection, and allowed him access so he could “protect” his younger siblings while his mom was at work. His suicide attempt was featured in a Wilmington News Journal article earlier this month that looked at an adolescent suicide cluster in the state last year.
The reality is that guns really don’t offer any protection. They only offer risk if children are present. Research in several US urban areas indicates that a gun stored in the home is associated with a threefold increase in the risk of homicide and a fivefold increase in the risk of suicide.
If you really want to protect your children from harm, follow the advice of the American Academy of Pediatrics and get rid of any guns at home. It would be a good start. If you can’t do that, then lock the unloaded guns in one place and lock the ammunition in another place. That almost makes your kids safe from those guns. Most importantly, never let your kids have access.
The real dangers to children are fire, drowning, and accidents, not armed intruders. We need to teach kids to avoid strangers, call 911 for any emergency, and have a safe haven such as a neighbor’s house to run to if they are threatened. Take time to make sure that they know how to swim, not to shoot. They are more likely to get into trouble in the pool, river, lake or shore, and then they are to confront an armed assailant.
Make sure they know basic first aid, and what to do if another child gets hurt. Be certain that your smoke detectors are loaded with fresh batteries instead of worrying about fresh ammo for your handgun. If they need to learn a skill, teach them how to use a fire extinguisher to put out a kitchen fire, after they first call 911.
It’s interesting that some parents give their older teens access to guns to protect their families, but these same kids can’t swim, won’t wear bike helmets or seatbelts, and would be clueless if a fire broke out in the kitchen. A gun won’t save them from being burned, drowned or crushed. Other safety training can save their lives.
Guns don’t make our children safer, they make their world more dangerous. If you own one or more guns, make them as safe as possible. Give your children safety training to deal with real threats, and not the imagined dangers that those who sell guns talk about.
President Obama’s recommendations about guns emphasize the importance of safe gun ownership in a free and open society. He has endorsed ongoing research on gun deaths to help prevent needless tragedy, and endorsed our First Amendment rights, as healthcare providers, to talk to parents who own guns about how to minimize the risks in the home. A national safe and responsible gun ownership plan will go a long way to help families make informed decisions and assure their children’s safety.
Four legs good, two legs bad!!!— Professor1982- Cuddles - WHERE ARE THE JOBS?!?
Four legs good, two legs baaaadddddd!— Professor1982 - How's that amateur NRA spokesmanship working out for ya professor?
— daxtremesolja - What's worse, Obama trolling out children to sign his EOs in clear attempt to gain political points or philly.com using a picture of a little girl looking at the gun???
LoL...our lefty friends are using the Goebbels playbook it appears.— Professor1982 - Cuddles one more point:
In 2008 there were:
— Professor1982 - Cuddles one more point:In 2008 there were: (HTML deleted) — Professor1982
- Cuddles in 2008 there were:
1) 1.2MM voluntary abortions
2) 961 handgun fatalities (including self defense)
Care to explain where your claimed "people" interests are???
http://www.abort73.com/abortion_facts/us_abortion_statistics/
http://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/region/united-states— Professor1982 - BTW, 8 yr old saves family....See Philly.com...two can play this game...
http://www.theonion.com/video/little-boy-heroically-shoots-mutilates-burglar,14370/— Professor1982 - hahahahaha the onion is a satirical news paper. Since you probably don't know what that means let me spell it out for you. It's FAKE NEWS. That didn't happen. Hahahahahaha wow, the stupidity on the right knows no bounds.
— flyers70 - Flyers...got your attention didn't it? You see anyone can post fake news...just like Obama and the liberal media.
Now check out the 2nd posted link...
BTW, where's the jobs Obama promised??? With a Gallup rating similar to Carter, I'd figure Obama would want to do more to help the economy....
— Professor1982 - hahahaha try to change the topic if you wish but the fact stands. You posted a news story from a famous satirical newspaper and weren't bright enough to realize it's fake. Not to mention the entire joke in the video was that the kid who you praised as a hero, is obviously a disturbed little sicko. The whole video is making fun of people like you and you weren't bright enough to realize it and posted it trying to prove your point. Hilarious. Just give up posting. Why would anyone take anything you say seriously. — flyers70
- Nice FAIL professor. Too bad for you that you can't delete your own post. — daxtremesolja
- Poor Dax. The left HATES when they are exposed.
Like little children that don't get their way.— Professor1982 - You mean the Onion article you used as a factual basis for your argument?Yep. Someone was definitely exposed by that one... (HTML deleted) — daxtremesolja
Here is our growing list of expert contributors:
Stephen Aronoff, M.D., M.B.A., Temple University Hospital
Christopher C. Chang, M.D., Ph.D., Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Jefferson Medical College
Katherine K. Dahlsgaard, Ph.D., Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Gary A. Emmett, M.D., Nemours Pediatrics, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Jefferson Medical College
Hazel Guinto-Ocampo, M.D., Bryn Mawr Hospital
Rima Himelstein, M.D., Crozer-Keystone Health System
W. Douglas Tynan, Ph.D., Ph.D., Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Jefferson Medical College
Beth Wallace, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Click on their names for fuller biographies. Questions? Email us at HealthyKids@philly.com
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