Firearm Safety 06/25/2009
More than 44 million Americans own firearms. Of the 192 million firearms owned in the United States, 65 million are handguns. Research shows guns in homes are a serious risk to families.
A gun kept in the home is 43 times more likely to kill someone known to the family than to kill someone in self-defense.
A gun kept in the home triples the risk of homicide.
The risk of suicide is 5 times more likely if a gun is kept in the home.
Advice to parents
The best way to keep your children safe from injury or death from guns is to NEVER have a gun in the home.
- Do not purchase a gun, especially a handgun.
- Remove all guns present in the home.
- Talk to your children about the dangers of guns, and tell them to stay away from guns.
- Find out if there are guns in the homes where your children play. If so, talk to the adults in the house about the dangers of guns to their families.
- For those who know of the dangers of guns but still keep a gun in the home
1) Always keep the gun unloaded and locked up.
2) Lock and store the bullets in a separate place.
3) Make sure to hide the keys to the locked boxes.
This information is provided by the American Academy of Pediatrics
