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.
Comments (76)
Propaganda, what part of 'shall not be infringed' do you not understand? Traitors.— mystikast- Propaganda, what part of 'shall not be infringed' do you not understand? Traitors.— mystikast
- 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
- No, just post a "Burglary Free Zone" sign....that will work!— STEPHEN1988
- 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 - Ask all the kids who find the guns and shoot themselves or others.— teddybear415
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- What a stupid article. I guess I shouldn't have rat poison or drain cleaner in my house either since a child could die from that. More liberal BS— Larry Cheswald
- 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
- Obviously a loaded gun around a child it not a good idea. No matter what the NRA says.— neddyflanders
- Beating a dead horse. Move on to the unemployment issue and high gas prices.— dogman5
- 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 - 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
- "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
- You stupid liberals should worry about what goes on in your own houses not mine! You people are a complete joke. I wish you idiots were this concerned about the economy! But I guess as long as the mailman still brings your checks your good! Losers!— edith bunker
- When I read your comment, I hear a baby crying in my head. — daxtremesolja
- Thank you all for your comments, and ideas. Keep in mind I was stressing safety, that owning a gun is a responsibility and requires that the adults keep children safe. My other comments about other hazards all had the same theme, keeping children safe. To state it again, keep the gun unloaded and locked, teach your kids how to swim, wear seatbelts and bike helmets, learn what to do in case of a fire. These are the major causes of death in children. Its not a case of we do one or the other, we need to do it all to keep all of our children safe. I am not recommending that we have to get rid of all guns, swimming pools or kitchen stoves. I am recommending that we recognize the dangers present in our children's world and respond in ways to protect our children. We cant save them all. Our first child death here in Delaware in 2013 was child struck by a 'stray' bullet fired into the air on midnight on New Year's Eve. Can anyone claim that was responsible gun ownership?— author
- What good does an unloaded and locked gun do you when someone kicks in your door and intends to do you and your family harm? Are you going to reason with the criminal to give you 5mins to unlock and load the gun so you can stop them? In that case all you have is a 5lb paper weight to throw at them. The parents need to teach the kids gun safety and hold them accountable to it, not just say it once and forget about it. — Taxpaying Voter
- In England, where guns are illegal, Violent crime is 180% of the rate in the US. Violent crime in the US is lower per capita than in Canada, Netherlands, France, Finland, Sweden, Belgium
Many of these are "no gun" countries... Our media has taken to reporting every violent crime committed across the country as national news. It makes it seem that crime is up in spite of being at it's lowest level since the 70s. This is easier than reporting actual news.— joeshea - A close friend of mine; her mother was nearly raped in her own house. She had a gun, she killed the perp. I'd say the gun kept her safe.
So the answer to the question that this article is posing - YES. Guns can keep children safe, so long as the gun owner isn't a moron.— kidretdes - I don't have a gun in the house - I have a dog. However, in households with responsible parents who are educated about gun safety, it is their right and no one should take it away from them. You hear the random stories like the drug addict teenager shooting himself, but nor about the millions of households with guns where there are no incidents.— lulu
- this article assumes that pro-gun republitards are responsive to facts and numbers. remember, this is the party that refuses to acknowledge evolution and global warming. what makes you think they'll listen to these facts? they only respond to fear and irrationality.— Ryan
- this article assumes that pro-gun republitards are responsive to facts and numbers. remember, this is the party that refuses to acknowledge evolution and global warming. what makes you think they'll listen to these facts? they only respond to fear and irrationality.— Ryan
- Guns dont kill children, the liberal propaganda and Planned parenthood do!— 420Phillie
- I appreciate a good editorial as much as the next person, but can we please ensure that we do not couch them as news stories? If we look at the real facts, the mother in this story broke the law by allowing a minor access to a handgun. Said minor then took said handgun, while under the influence, please not that is another illegal activity, and tried to kill himself, yet another illegal activity. So bottom line, to prove the author's theory we have two individuals who collectively broke the law three times yet no mention is made of charges filed. Why?— billamj
- but the children should be free to use drugs without the interference of parents or exposure to guns...— section707
- This article, and the entire series it's part of, was written by a physician. They're not typically liberals. It contains statistics to back up it's premise, which the gun nuts are in short supply of.— phillyboy1961
- NO, just post a "crime free zone" sign outside your house, that will work.— STEPHEN1988
- Jobs? Nope! Deficit cut in half? Nope! Subvert your Constitutional right to defend yourself? Yep!! Good work!— JohnnyL
- Professor-I'm still stuck on the fact that you obviously read The Onion for your news. I guess it is pretty comparable to Fox and Friends and the Factor. Good god my friend! You are a moron. Just stop posting....— phil80
- Also Stephen Colbert is the "professor's" favorite conservative pundit. — carl and sons
- Ask the mom in Ga(i think it was) that was hiding in the closet when she was forced to shoot the home invader to save her family. Or google all the hundreds of stories of families being saved because there was a gun in the house.— Taxpaying Voter
- none of your business, our home, our right— brightstar1031
- One of our neighbors has IED making class every week, so the home schooled kids can go. I'm proud to result my kids have already blown up a few cats and dogs and are learning how to blow up sheep. They will graduate in June and hopefully be able to defend american values.— carl and sons
- Oh, silly! American values aren't defended with IED's.
They defended with weekly reviewed "kill" lists that the president hand selects & then uses remotely piloted drones to kill the people HE thinks need to be killed.
This is done with much collateral damage including the deaths of innocent men, women, and children.
But hey, they don't matter. they wear scarfs on their heads, or eat goat cheese milk. So UN American....— Bill8339 - So were you decrying all that collateral damage when the Cheyney administration was "shock and awe"-ing Iraq?
I hate to say that I agree with you on this, unless your objection is merely because it's Obama doing it.— carl and sons - This comment has been deleted. — Hobo Floto Voto
- "seriousLY"- adverbial ending.
geez.— carl and sons - Just like a mass murderer will find alternate ways to kill people other than guns, a suicidal person will do the same thing. I grew up in a home with guns and not once did I ever consider using them on myself or anyone else.— LouDiamondPhillipsheadScrewdriver
- What a ridiculous article. one drug addict kills himself so no one should be able to defend their families? I read about home invasions every day in this paper. Then the writer goes on to advise us to teach our kids to fight a kitchen fire? WRONG.....get out and stay out.— TVC15
- No child ever committed suicide with an assult rifle. Their arms are to short to pull the trigger.— towman
- I have a loaded assault weapon in every room in my house in case I ever need to shoot a bunch of people. And I tell my kids (age 3,5 and 7) not to touch Daddy's guns because they are not toys.— pic man
Yes, being able to protect your children does make them safer. Especially when you teach gun safety to your children and store your firearms correctly. Sort like of teaching children to use a condom....you don't necessarily want them to use it, but its good to know how to operate it correctly when you need to.— rudytbone- @glyers70...pretty funny how you are talking about the stupidity on the right when it s a common fact that liberal dems are less educated and more likely to be on welfare and living in the ghetto.— psualum
- cut and dry, knee-jerk reaction liberals. unreal. the kid wanted to kill himself. what he there was no gun and he decided to o.d. or hang himself. well you better outlaw medications and rope too.— psualum
- Yes, guns do make it safer.— psualum
- @Professor, Don't post examples of how guns protect people. Every video link you post, there are 10 videos about how guns kill kids at home. This will not be a topic you will win. As a gun owner, I don't mind more strict gun laws if it means it will keep moms like the one in the article and others away from owning firearms.— penncrow19
- Ask the NYPD how they like the new strict gun laws in NY. These dolts rammed through legislation to be the first and now the cops can't use their handguns, assualt rifles or assualt shotguns because of the new magazine capacity law which they are not exempt from. HAHAHA. As the NRA and the law abiding citizens have long been saying, new gun laws will only hurt the law abiding citizens, and in this case the cops. — Taxpaying Voter
- As a "gun owner" = concern troll — rudytbone
- From the article: "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." So why isn't the author suggesting that parents get rid of swimming pools, cars, bikes and stoves?— J H
- I agree with the article. The chances of actually using the firearm to defend your castle/family is very very small. But as the saying goes, you are not concerned about the thousands times that it doesn't happen. You are worried about the one time it does. As a gun owner, I make sure everything is locked up and inaccessible by minors.— penncrow19
- Penncrow, I don't promote children handling guns, but proof is that teaching and instructing them, reduces their "inquisitive" nature towards guns. Kind of like alcohol here vs Europe, where there is far less issues with binge drinking and youth alcoholism.
As a gun owner with massive experience and training with them and the cultural value they represent, the only effective gun is one that is actually on your person all the time.
— Professor1982 - My son had access to guns growing up and not once did he lock himself in his room and try and commit suicide. Biggest factor, this child was involved in drugs! Why not emphasize on that fact and not about guns in the household. For every one example you can cite about a gun in the home being a bad thing, I can cite 100 for guns in the home being a good thing. Get off the Obama train because it only leads to a plunge off the cliff!!— PhillyTaz
- The gun my father used to chase a burglar away from our home when I was 12 didn't seem to be a part of that problem.— DonQ
- The guns keep children safer than the abortionist doctors.— Sportyrider71
- Hey Guys - Don't let the President and his gun agenda get in the way of actual facts:
http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/50208495#50208495— dcn - hey professor, did you really just quote the onion??— tonycspc
- Hey Tony...did you not watch the video?
Here's another...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/20/oklahoma-girl-shoots-home-intruder_n_1992381.html— Professor1982 - Professor1982 should change his name to ProfessorTroll — daxtremesolja
- 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...— daxtremesolja - 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
- Four legs good, two legs bad!!!— 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 - Cuddles one more point:
In 2008 there were:
— Professor1982 - Cuddles one more point:In 2008 there were: (HTML deleted) — 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
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The Healthy Kids blog is your window into the latest news, research and advice around children's health. Healthy Kids blog editor Anna Nguyen is a health freelance writer who has written about various health topics for publications and Websites, including the Philadelphia Inquirer and WebMD, and health-related research for Temple University, University Communications. Her two energetic girls - ages 1 and 3 - keep Anna busy on her toes.
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