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?
W. Douglas Tynan, Ph.D., Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Jefferson Medical Colg
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.
"Gun Control Is Agenda And Spin Control Too, 6 Steps To Stop The Violence,Good Policing Is The Best Gun Control, Aurora Demands An Investigation, In The Wake Of Aurora And Oak Creek..." Just a few of some 50 articles on retired former Philly cop's Blog: Robert A. Young's Blog For Social Responsibility@ Blogspot.com, Check out the good suggestions included in these pieces.— NICOT- Discharging a weapon into the air on New Year's Eve is not only irresponsible, its also illegal. So yes, it is irresponsible gun ownership and that person should have theirs seized and charged with a crime. However, you seem to generalize that many gun owners are irresponsible, which is simply not the case. I grew up with guns in the home and at a very young age knew how to handle, inspect, drop a clip and clear the chamber of a firearm. The article is misleading in the sense that the gun was the cause of this person's death. It was merely an instrument to carry out his ultimate goal which was to end his life. Had a gun not been present, he would have found another way to end his life, sadly. This poor kid was hooked on drugs and probably had some underlying mental issues as a result of drug use. So instead of teaching this kid how to defend himself with a gun, the parents should have tried to get him help, or at least secured the gun. I know anti-gun advocates hate to hear this but the truth of the matter is that guns themselves are not dangerous--it is the person holding them that is. A gun, sitting on a table, does not fire itself off, go on shooting rampages, or kill innocent children. The person behind the gun makes that decision. It is no different than a person who drives his car into a crowded diner to kill as many people as possible. The car didn't do it, the driver did. Someone will probably say, "well the gun can kill more people". Probably yes, but that is just a question of efficiency. A gun is more portable than a car, easier to manipulate and easier to aim, but there isn't much difference between a psycho shooting into a parade as a opposed to some psycho in a large truck driving into a parade. Bottom line is, if you dont' want guns in your home, don't buy one and keep it there. But if I choose to own them as a responsible law abiding citizen, that is my choice, not yours.— ena1977
- It must be one of the aborted babies that you liberals have killed everyday! Loser!— edith bunker
- It wasn't an aborted baby since that would have just been a bloody, pulpy mess and wouldn't have been able to cry but if it makes you feel any better, feel free to think that.
— daxtremesolja - Beating a dead horse. Move on to the unemployment issue and high gas prices.— dogman5
- Obviously a loaded gun around a child it not a good idea. No matter what the NRA says.— neddyflanders
- I am a health care provider, and I disagree with this article; of course guns can be dangerous, but in the long run, I believe that for responsible people, guns do make life safer. And gun ownership is not a public health issue.— Dr.Pib
If you want a gun for protection in your house, you don't let drug using teens have access to it. Or any teens for that matter. Everyone here should know that teens are emotionally volatile and prone to rash acts. You tell your kids that if some guy is breaking into your house, just run. Your life is much more important than your XBox, or whatever.— verve- Ask all the kids who find the guns and shoot themselves or others.— teddybear415
- Let's look at the facts, not the hype: Please look at the following stats: http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/usa-cause-of-death-by-age-and-gender
— jeff.whitman - No, just post a "Burglary Free Zone" sign....that will work!— STEPHEN1988
- Love these pseudo research articles, guns are bad, guns are bad! So with this fine research you would think that the US with its high private gun ownership would have to be #1 in suicides per capita, right? Nope, 34th in the world. Try again Doctor.— Shehateme
