289 Kids and Guns

Based on research done by Jackman, Geoffrey. A., Farah, Mirna. M., Kellermann, Arthur. L., & Simon, Harold. K., (2001) written by Bethany Wellman, M.S.

Every year guns accidentally kill approximately 400 children. Parents: could your child be at risk?

Pediatric researchers sampled 30, eight to ten-year-old boys and their families on firearm practices, storage, and their sons’ interests in firearms. They observed each boy with a playmate for 15 minutes in a room with two water-guns and one real hand gun placed in drawers. Results showed that 70% of the boys found the handgun, of these 76% handled the gun and of those who handled the gun, 62%, or the majority, pulled the gun’s trigger. Nearly half of the boys who found the weapon believed it was a toy or were unsure whether it was real. Parental reports of their sons’ interest level did not predict whether the boys would engage the weapon or not.

This study dramatically illustrates the danger of having weapons accessible to children. Teaching children gun safety is imperative. However, over 90% of the boys in this study who touched the handgun reported having been taught gun safety in the past. Despite the lesson, they handled the gun.

Don’t tempt children. Keep weapons securely stored, inaccessible to kids.

References:

Jackman, G. A., Farah, M. M., Kellermann, A. L., & Simon, H. K. (2001). Seeing Is Believing: What Do Boys Do When They Find a Real Gun? Pediatrics, 107(6), 1247-1250.