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A good amount of families keep guns at home for various reasons like home-defense, hunting, etc etc. but again those families might have toddlers or teenagers in their families also. now, this is what makes a risky environment for the whole family.
A gun is not a tool for kids and this is a must to teach them about it to avoid any kind of misconduct. without gun safety knowledge, the kid and the family may face horrible consequences which can also be the loss of life.
About one-third of families with children in the USA have guns at home and many of them are loaded and unlocked in the stored place.. statistics are terrible if you can perceive. around 241 unintended shootings had occurred in 2019 resulting in more than 100 deaths and 150 injuries approximately.
It is also stated that the risk of suicides is four to ten times more in homes having guns. Another breathtaking statistic according to the FBI and Centers for Disease Control state that in 2013 more preschoolers are dying from guns than police officers on duty. studies have shown that about 40% of homes with children have guns. gun injuries are one of the top four causes of death for children aging from 1-9 years.
The horrible consequences and those statistics must have shown you the importance of gun safety for kids. According to AAP, having no gun at home is the best solution to prevent firearm-related injuries in children and adolescents. Current medical researches also show the same solution.
For families having guns in their homes, there are some steps that can be taken to prevent accidents. like-
- keeping the gun hidden from the usual sites that a child can surf
- keeping the gun unloaded
- one can use gun lock also
- keeping the ammunition separately
- lock the drawer or corner containing the gun
- teach them about reality between guns in real life and guns in video games
It is an effective step to teach your kid about guns and its uses, consequences in real life. tell them that it’s not a toy to play with. in real life its uses need knowledge, experience, authentification, safety measure. also teach them that the guns that are used in video games, movies, cartoons are actually fake and don’t cause the consequence of injury or losing a life. but the real one can hit strong and can be fatal. so never to even touch a gun out of curiosity.
It is actually wise to learn about their friends’ house if they have any gun at home. before sending your children to party or sleepover at their friends’ house, it is a must. otherwise, you may not tell them about gun safety as you are not containing one but his friends’ parents are.
It is wise to diminish the mystery out of their curiosity for the safety. moreover, a gun can cause a problem by-
- It can be found by a child or teen and accidentally a pull of the trigger can happen very obviously
- If there is any depressed teen or adult in the home, his/her suicidal thoughts can be influenced by this
- Family arguments can get out of control sometimes.
- One can mistake a family member or friend as an intruder.
Cautions while you have an adolescent or teen at the house:
Teens are at greater risk of attempting suicide out of heartbreak, depression, failure. having a gun at their home is that’s why very risky. more than 90% of suicide attempts with guns are fatal.
Also if there is any concern about mental illness, it is the only solution to remove all firearms from home to prevent any type of tragedy.
What to do in the presence of a gun:
Teach your children to call the police or tell their parents or any adult they can trust if they happened to become aware of the presence of a gun.
If they happened to see a gun, they must acknowledge that to the adults of home. even if anyone tells them about it or threaten them with this also. as you never know who to trust exactly regarding your children.
A number of studies have shown that even after knowing about gun safety kids just can’t resist their curiosity which may result in something that their parents haven’t expected why parents are aloudly encouraged to not have a gun or if have any then it must be unloaded, locked, kept separately the parts of it.
And also to obviously check when their children are going to their friends’ house, camp if there are any guns, and their availability to kids.
About toy guns, non-powder guns:
Non-powder guns like pellet guns, airsoft guns , paintball guns, ball-bearing guns can also cause serious injuries to children. and
- The consumer products safety commission recommends only 16 years old or more than this aged can use BB guns. in fact, this type of gun should be used under the supervision of adults to tackle any kind of situation.
- Playing with toy guns may rise misconceptions about guns and their availability within a child.
- Sometimes elders may also mistake a toy gun for a real one
- Paintball gun and airsoft guns can cause serious eye injuries so kids should put on protection glasses while using those.
- Don’t let them fire cap guns closer than 1 ft. from their ears. also to wear hearing protection.
Steps for storing gun and ammunition:
- Keep them at a higher, secure corner out of their sight. don’t leave them on the table, sofa, nightstands. not even by mistake.
- Lock them with child-resistant simplex locks safe in a locked corner, drawer, or container.
- Store ammunition separately locked in another place. and obviously out of their sight and reach.
- Can use fingerprint recognition locks or combination lock to the container.
- When the gun is not in the storing place due to any task, keep the gun in absolute possession with full control all the time.
- If a visitor comes with a gun, show them to store at a secure place or tell them to keep it in absolute control of themselves.
Finally, keeping a gun is not the only option for your safety so if you can, you can easily avoid having it for your kids’ safety. but if you have to possess it, then some rules, steps should be followed by you and your family members who are adults to save the younger ones. teaching gun safety might kill curiosity but as a kid, it may not have control over itself. so taking safety measures, teaching them, looking after them every time can help you only to save them from any type of injuries.
