[This appeared in the Sonoma State Star student
newspaper, so far back that I can’t
remember when]
Gun Accidents & Kids: Techniques For Prevention
Life is full of senseless accidents. In the last few
months, the news media have given considerable attention to
firearms accidents involving children. Nearly all of these
accidents are easily preventable. Forty percent of the
households in America have a gun -- which means even if you
don't have a gun in your house, this is still your concern,
since your child may visit a house where there is a gun.
It's important to put firearms accidents involving
children in perspective. In 1984, there were 287 accidental
firearms deaths of children under 15. By comparison, motor
vehicle accidents killed 3,401 children under 15; drowning
killed 1,170; fires and burns killed 1,208, and even choking
killed 316. In brief, your child is 11.9 times more likely
to be killed in a car crash, 4.1 times more likely to drown,
4.2 times more likely to die of fire, and even 10% more
likely to choke to death, than to be killed by a gun
accident. Even a bicycle is more dangerous to kids than a
gun accident. If you aren't putting your son or daughter in
a seat belt in the car, making sure that their food is cut
up, and eliminating fire and pool hazards, gun accidents
should be the least of your worries.
One approach to protecting kids is child-proofing your
gun -- making the gun secure from children. The other
approach is "gun-proofing" your child -- teaching him or her
to recognize that guns are only for responsible adults.
Both approaches are necessary. Child-proofing your gun
reduces the risk that someone else's child, who hasn't been
"gun-proofed", will cause a tragedy with your gun. Gun-
proofing your child reduces the risk that he or she will
cause a tragedy with someone else's gun.
Gun-Proofing Your Kids
Because children are naturally curious, hiding a gun is a
mistake. The dividing line between fantasy and reality is
vague for many small children, and violent cartoons, TV
shows, and movies, don't help. A child may not understand
the difference between toy and real guns, especially if the
parents haven't shown them a real gun -- and there are some
very realistic toy guns out there. Curiosity may also
encourage a child to "mess around" with a gun, trying to
figure out how it works. Satisfy that curiosity under adult
supervision.
If you own a gun, show your son or daughter that a gun is
not a toy for adults, but a serious matter. Using a
watermelon as a target will powerfully impress upon them how
dangerous a gun can be.
Child-Proofing Your Guns
The ideal solution is a gun safe. A gun safe not only
prevents unauthorized access by kids, it prevents a burglar
from stealing one of the easiest items to fence. (This is
the reason that background checks are so ineffective at
disarming criminals -- criminals don't buy at gun stores --
they buy stolen guns). For handguns, there are quite
adequate safes between $100 and $125.
But for a renter, a gun safe is usually not practical --
the landlord won't appreciate holes in the wall. A locking
handgun case prevents kids from getting in, and chaining the
case handle to a pipe under a sink will discourage theft.
Most gun stores sell such cases for less than $40.
The cheapest solution is a trigger lock. Inserted
through the trigger guard, it prevents firing of the gun,
though it won't prevent theft. A disturbing number of guns
aren't even secured with this, the cheapest of child-
proofing devices -- and since trigger locks can be bought in
most sporting goods stores for about $10, if you own a gun,
you have no excuse for leaving it unsecured.
If you do own a gun, do everything you can to make sure
that gun doesn't end up as an accident statistic. Sad to
say, not every gun owner is terribly knowledgeable about
guns; some people buy a handgun, take it to a shooting range
once, and never shoot it again. Others learned gun safety
many years ago, and that knowledge has become hazy with
time. The SSU Shooting Club is ready to help you learn or
relearn safe gun ownership.
If you don't own a gun, it's important to teach your
children enough about gun safety to prevent them from
becoming a statistic. Whether you like it or not, guns are
a part of American society, like pools and motor vehicles.
Children need to learn enough to not be a hazard to
themselves or others. To this end, the National Rifle
Association has produced a coloring book for children that
teaches what to do if kids find an unattended gun: don't
touch it, find a responsible adult at once, and inform them
about it. The SSU Shooting Club will have copies available
soon.
The risks of a child getting killed or injured with a gun
are quite small; the grief that will result is enormous. A
gun, like a car, or a pool, is a potentially dangerous item.
you own one, you need to be responsible. If you don't
own one, common sense says you should educate your children
about the risks.
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Mr. Cramer is a junior, majoring in history. He has
child-proofed his guns, and gun-proofed his children.