There are approximately 200 million registered firearms in the United States. 1,500 children are injured each year by the accidental discharge of a firearm in the home. There are several steps you can take to ensure a gun does not end up in your child’s hands.
Guns should be kept locked away from the reach of children. The Baltimore Police Department offers some suggestions for families to reduce the risk of injury from a firearm in the home:
- Consider all risks before keeping a gun in the home. A gun in the home is 40 times more likely to seriously injure or kill a family member than to stop a crime.
- Look into other means of protecting your home as well, including upgrading locks or adding an alarm system in your home.
- If you do keep guns in the home, make sure they are safely secured out of reach of children. Keep them unloaded, trigger-locked, in a locked gun case or box.
If your child does come across a gun in your home or elsewhere, make sure they know these important steps:
- Stop.
- Don’t touch the gun.
- Leave the area.
- Tell an adult.
It is very important that you make sure your kids know that they should never touch a gun if find one, and they should always tell an adult immediately. If they are at a friend’s house, and their friend wants to show them a gun, teach your child to say “no” and to leave right away. If they are at school, and some one threatens them, or talks about bringing a gun to school, tell them to talk to a teacher or other trusted adult immediately. Check out the Kid’s Health site for more information on how you can teach your kids about gun safety.
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