Lethal Weapons
You can't hide a gun from a child. Here are some necessary precautions to take.
by Thomas Clavin
One spring day in 1995 an 18-month-old toddler named Jacqueline
Alvarez-Mendoza and her 2 1/2-year-old brother were playing in a back bedroom
of their home in Austin, Texas. The children discovered what they thought was a
new toy—a semiautomatic pistol. Naturally curious, the two began to examine
and play with the pistol. Suddenly the gun went off and the bullet struck
Jacqueline in the head. The little girl was rushed to the hospital; less than 45
minutes later she was dead.
Tragically, this is not a one-of-a-kind story. Each year more than 200 children,
aged 14 and under, die from unintentional shootings. Nearly all the deaths
occur in or around the home. According to Heather Paul, Ph.D., executive
director of the National Safe Kids Campaign in Washington, D.C., most children
are killed, or kill other children, while playing with handguns they've found in the
home.
Today it is estimated that one out of two homes nationwide contains some type
of firearm; one in four contain a handgun. "But children and guns in the home is
a potentially fatal combination," warns Sarah Brady, chair of the Center to
Prevent Handgun Violence in Washington, D.C. The danger is compounded
when parents and caregivers underestimate a curious child's ability to find and
shoot a firearm, even when it's been hidden. One study showed that 25 percent
of three- and four-year-olds have the two-finger strength to fire a gun, and 70
percent of five- and six-year-olds have that ability.
To protect children from the dangers of guns, parents and caregivers must know
the facts about firearm safety.
Preventable Tragedies
Many adults carry guns for work-related purposes or for recreation, but the
primary reason parents own handguns is for protection. However, increasing
evidence suggests that guns offer a false sense of security: A firearm in the
home is 43 times more likely to kill a family member or friend than an intruder,
according to a study conducted by Arthur Kellermann, M.D., director of the Center
for Injury Control at Emory University in Atlanta.
Increasing the risk of harm to children is the fact that many gun owners don't
take adequate precautions with gun storage at home. Consider these findings:
About 50 percent of the accidental shootings involving young children in
California were the result of youngsters finding and playing with guns
that were kept unlocked and loaded, a recent study in the Journal of the
American Medical Association reported.
According to a recent survey conducted at Northwestern University
Medical School's Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, 61 percent of
gun owners in rural, suburban, and urban homes store at least one gun
unlocked, and 15 percent keep a loaded gun.
Even if you don't own a gun, you cannot assume that your child is not at
risk. According to the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence, 32 percent of
accidental shootings involve guns belonging to a friend, neighbor, or
relative of the victim. "Most parents, especially those who would never
dream of owning a weapon themselves, don't think to ask the parents of
their child's playmate if they own a gun," says Marjorie Hogan, M.D., staff
pediatrician at the Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis and
spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics. "The fact is, all
parents—those who own guns and those who don't—must discuss the
dangers of guns with their kids."
Protecting Your Child
Here are four ways you can prevent a gun-related accident:
Weigh the pros and cons of owning a gun in a home with children.
Obviously, it's safest for your child if you don't own a gun at all. If you feel
you must own a firearm, consider carefully whether your reasons for
wanting it outweigh the potential danger. If you are concerned about
intruders, consider installing an alarm system instead. As research has
proven, when a gun is fired in the home, the victim will most likely be a
family member.
Be a responsible gun owner.
If you own a firearm, make every effort to handle and store it safely. For
instance, keep the firearm under lock and key and store the bullets
separately. Invest in a childproofing device, such as a trigger lock, to
make it more difficult for a child to pull the trigger.
Realize, however, that these devices alone do not ensure safety, says
Susan DeFrancesco, coordinator of the Johns Hopkins University School
of Public Health's Center for Gun Policy and Research in Baltimore. "The
owner has to remember to put the device on and attach it correctly," she
explains. "A 'smart gun,' which only operates when the user is wearing a
special ring, is even more protection."
Talk to your youngster about guns.
"When your child is about age five, have an interactive discussion
concerning gun safety," suggests Charles Flatter, Ed.D., professor of
human development at the University of Maryland at College Park
Institute for Child Study and a Sesame Street Parents adviser. "If you
own a gun, ask your child how she feels about having a gun in your
home, and explain why it's there. Then you and your child can come up
with rules that will keep the family safe," says Dr. Flatter. "Bear in mind
that children who feel they are part of establishing rules in the home are
more likely to follow them."
Even if your family does not own a gun, says DeFrancesco, instruct your
child that if he sees or is shown a gun, he must leave the room
immediately and call you or another adult.
Discuss gun safety with neighbors and relatives.
One way to broach the subject is to show this article to your relatives and
the parents of your child's friends and classmates. Ask them if a firearm
is present in their home and, if so, how it is stored. "As the statistics
about children's gun-related injuries become more well known, it's more
socially acceptable to inquire about a gun in the home," says
DeFrancesco. Though it is a sensitive issue, she adds, it's the same as
asking a friend who will be driving your child somewhere if she has a car
seat.
Every parent, whether or not she owns a gun, must address the problem
of gun safety. Experts agree that the risk of a tragedy is greatly increased
when parents do not confront the issue. "What makes the accidental
shooting deaths of young children especially troubling is that we are
ignoring what's happening," says Brady. "For our children's sake, we
simply cannot afford to do that any more."
------------------
will you stand with me in DC on 10-2-99?
http://www.myplanet.net/jeffhead/LibMarch
You can't hide a gun from a child. Here are some necessary precautions to take.
by Thomas Clavin
One spring day in 1995 an 18-month-old toddler named Jacqueline
Alvarez-Mendoza and her 2 1/2-year-old brother were playing in a back bedroom
of their home in Austin, Texas. The children discovered what they thought was a
new toy—a semiautomatic pistol. Naturally curious, the two began to examine
and play with the pistol. Suddenly the gun went off and the bullet struck
Jacqueline in the head. The little girl was rushed to the hospital; less than 45
minutes later she was dead.
Tragically, this is not a one-of-a-kind story. Each year more than 200 children,
aged 14 and under, die from unintentional shootings. Nearly all the deaths
occur in or around the home. According to Heather Paul, Ph.D., executive
director of the National Safe Kids Campaign in Washington, D.C., most children
are killed, or kill other children, while playing with handguns they've found in the
home.
Today it is estimated that one out of two homes nationwide contains some type
of firearm; one in four contain a handgun. "But children and guns in the home is
a potentially fatal combination," warns Sarah Brady, chair of the Center to
Prevent Handgun Violence in Washington, D.C. The danger is compounded
when parents and caregivers underestimate a curious child's ability to find and
shoot a firearm, even when it's been hidden. One study showed that 25 percent
of three- and four-year-olds have the two-finger strength to fire a gun, and 70
percent of five- and six-year-olds have that ability.
To protect children from the dangers of guns, parents and caregivers must know
the facts about firearm safety.
Preventable Tragedies
Many adults carry guns for work-related purposes or for recreation, but the
primary reason parents own handguns is for protection. However, increasing
evidence suggests that guns offer a false sense of security: A firearm in the
home is 43 times more likely to kill a family member or friend than an intruder,
according to a study conducted by Arthur Kellermann, M.D., director of the Center
for Injury Control at Emory University in Atlanta.
Increasing the risk of harm to children is the fact that many gun owners don't
take adequate precautions with gun storage at home. Consider these findings:
About 50 percent of the accidental shootings involving young children in
California were the result of youngsters finding and playing with guns
that were kept unlocked and loaded, a recent study in the Journal of the
American Medical Association reported.
According to a recent survey conducted at Northwestern University
Medical School's Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, 61 percent of
gun owners in rural, suburban, and urban homes store at least one gun
unlocked, and 15 percent keep a loaded gun.
Even if you don't own a gun, you cannot assume that your child is not at
risk. According to the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence, 32 percent of
accidental shootings involve guns belonging to a friend, neighbor, or
relative of the victim. "Most parents, especially those who would never
dream of owning a weapon themselves, don't think to ask the parents of
their child's playmate if they own a gun," says Marjorie Hogan, M.D., staff
pediatrician at the Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis and
spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics. "The fact is, all
parents—those who own guns and those who don't—must discuss the
dangers of guns with their kids."
Protecting Your Child
Here are four ways you can prevent a gun-related accident:
Weigh the pros and cons of owning a gun in a home with children.
Obviously, it's safest for your child if you don't own a gun at all. If you feel
you must own a firearm, consider carefully whether your reasons for
wanting it outweigh the potential danger. If you are concerned about
intruders, consider installing an alarm system instead. As research has
proven, when a gun is fired in the home, the victim will most likely be a
family member.
Be a responsible gun owner.
If you own a firearm, make every effort to handle and store it safely. For
instance, keep the firearm under lock and key and store the bullets
separately. Invest in a childproofing device, such as a trigger lock, to
make it more difficult for a child to pull the trigger.
Realize, however, that these devices alone do not ensure safety, says
Susan DeFrancesco, coordinator of the Johns Hopkins University School
of Public Health's Center for Gun Policy and Research in Baltimore. "The
owner has to remember to put the device on and attach it correctly," she
explains. "A 'smart gun,' which only operates when the user is wearing a
special ring, is even more protection."
Talk to your youngster about guns.
"When your child is about age five, have an interactive discussion
concerning gun safety," suggests Charles Flatter, Ed.D., professor of
human development at the University of Maryland at College Park
Institute for Child Study and a Sesame Street Parents adviser. "If you
own a gun, ask your child how she feels about having a gun in your
home, and explain why it's there. Then you and your child can come up
with rules that will keep the family safe," says Dr. Flatter. "Bear in mind
that children who feel they are part of establishing rules in the home are
more likely to follow them."
Even if your family does not own a gun, says DeFrancesco, instruct your
child that if he sees or is shown a gun, he must leave the room
immediately and call you or another adult.
Discuss gun safety with neighbors and relatives.
One way to broach the subject is to show this article to your relatives and
the parents of your child's friends and classmates. Ask them if a firearm
is present in their home and, if so, how it is stored. "As the statistics
about children's gun-related injuries become more well known, it's more
socially acceptable to inquire about a gun in the home," says
DeFrancesco. Though it is a sensitive issue, she adds, it's the same as
asking a friend who will be driving your child somewhere if she has a car
seat.
Every parent, whether or not she owns a gun, must address the problem
of gun safety. Experts agree that the risk of a tragedy is greatly increased
when parents do not confront the issue. "What makes the accidental
shooting deaths of young children especially troubling is that we are
ignoring what's happening," says Brady. "For our children's sake, we
simply cannot afford to do that any more."
------------------
will you stand with me in DC on 10-2-99?
http://www.myplanet.net/jeffhead/LibMarch
