Locked and Unloaded- Safe Firearm Storage

A child is killed every 2 hours with a loaded gun, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. More children under the age of 10 are killed by guns than by poison or electrocution. Gunshot deaths are second only to car accidents as a cause for fatal injury in children. Children are at an increasing risk of fatal injury from guns every day in this country because of adult carelessness.

Educating your child about gun safety, and providing adult supervision are two effective ways to discourage accidents and acts of violence among teenagers, and over half of all gun-owning parents agree. No matter how old your child is, from infancy to the teenage years, keeping a gun in your home can present a very real danger to your family.

Children are naturally curious and learn by watching the adults around them. If there is a gun in the home, there is a chance that even the most well behaved child will try to satisfy that curiosity. Because of their naiveté, they do not realize that guns are not toys intended for play, and one shot could change their lives forever. Guns kept in the home should be kept unloaded and locked away, with the key available only to responsible adults.

The best safety measure that you can take is to avoid having a gun in your home, especially not a handgun. If you already own a gun or plan to keep one in your home, following some basic safety measures can be vital to your family's health and safety. According to the Centers for Disease Control and the Census Bureau, roughly 500 children die each year from unintentional gunshot wounds.

If you keep a gun:

• Always keep your gun unloaded and locked up.
• Lock and store bullets in a separate location.
• Make sure children do not have access to the keys.
• Ask police for advice on safe storage and gun locks.
• The best way to reduce gun risks is to remove the gun from your home.

If you do not own a gun:

• Talk with your children about the risk of gun injury outside the home in places where they may visit and play.
• Tell your children to steer clear of guns when they are in the homes of their friends.
• Speak with the parents of your children's friends to find out if they keep a gun at home.
• If they do, urge them to empty it out and lock it up.

You should explain to your children how dangerous guns are, and let them know that they should never touch a gun. Tell them that gun violence on TV and in the movies is not real, but in real life people can get very badly hurt and even killed with guns. Teach them that if they find a gun to stop, don't touch, run away, and tell an adult- it could save their lives. Repeat these lessons often, as children learn through repetition.

Keeping a gun locked in a cabinet with a trigger lock is advice that is freely given by ninety percent of pediatricians. "Too many guns are being used in too many unacceptable ways," said Lanny R. Copeland, M.D. president of the American Academy of Family Physicians. "As physicians, we have a responsibility to speak up for measures that will counter the continued misuse of guns, and to participate ourselves in firearm safety education." The AAFP and the American Academy of Pediatrics have both issued policies and statements regarding gun control.

Less than half of gun owning parents reported that they followed recommendations for safe firearm storage in their homes, according to a study published in the November issue of the journal Pediatrics. The study also showed that parents who own guns often mistakenly believe that children are able to distinguish between toy guns and the real thing, and 25% of those gun owning parents believed that their children could be trusted to safely handle a loaded gun.

"Any gun you own is a potential lethal weapon, if not in your hands or your family's hands, then in someone else's hands," says David Reynolds, MD, president of the Alabama Chapter of the AAP. He adds that if parents do opt to own a gun, it should be kept with a trigger lock and stored out of the reach of children.