That wasn’t an easy headline to write. Every other day a child dies in an accidental shooting. Is there anything that the gun community can do about this? Yes. There is. And here’s what: Safe gun storage and more training.
The Associated Press recently published an article about children dying in accidental shootings. It gave the example of 4-year-old Bryson Mees-Hernandez of Houston, who died after finding a gun his grandmother had kept under her bedside. Bryson shot himself in January 2016 with a .22 Derringer. Where to place the most immediate blame on this tragic incident? In my opinion, it’s negligence on the part of the gun owner.
The gist of this article is that children under the age of 18 die from accidental shootings, either by shooting themselves or by an adult accidentally shooting them, at the rate of one every other day. From January 1, 2016 to June 30, 2016, just half the year, more than 1,000 children have died from accidental shootings. Curious toddlers find loaded guns around the house or in cars or purses. Teenagers find guns and show off, presumably not knowing how to use them or simply being careless.
Here are the reported statistics: 3-year-olds are the most common age for gun victims. The next highest group is teenagers aged 15 to 17 who are most often accidentally shot by other children. States in the South have the highest rate of accidental shootings. Most of the victims as well as shooters are boys. In 2014, 74 minors died by accidental shootings. No numbers were available for 2015, but just looking at the numbers so far for 2016 there’s an obvious increase.
Safe gun storage
Safe gun storage has got to be part of the solution to this problem. Hiding a gun in a purse, closet, drawer or similar location is not a safe storage option. Safe storage means using multiple precautions. Securely storing firearms when they are not in use is the Number 1 way to prevent accidents.
- Don’t keep bullets in your gun. Keep the gun and the ammunition in two different places.
- Use a gun lock to make sure it is obvious that the gun is unloaded.
- Thoroughly double check to ensure that the gun is unloaded if anyone else uses it. Accidents occur when others replace guns into the storage location when they are still loaded.
- If you have guns in the house with children, or with children who visit, make sure that you have multiple, ongoing conversations about gun safety, and teach them how to use the gun.
- Keep guns locked up in a safe, with ammunition in a separate location.
Free online safety training from Virginia Concealed
Train so that you know how to use and store your gun safely. Teach the people around you, particularly children who are in your home or car, what to do if they find a gun. The website Virginia Concealed offers a free online safety training video that is accessible to anyone across the country. Go to the link “Get Certified Now” at the top of the page. Watch the training video. It’s 41 minutes. Taking the safety test after watching the video is also free. If you want, once you do that you can send away for a concealed carry certificate through the website that is legally valid. At the very least, we urge you to watch the free video and make sure you are trained in safety.
