Have conversations about securing guns in the home
I want to tell you about a way you can directly save the lives of children in our community. And I want to tell you before it is “too soon” (as many say when this topic comes up) but also before it is too late.
Right now, each and every one of us can be part of normalizing the conversation about the secure storage of firearms in our homes and community.
Colorado law (Colorado Revised Statutes § 18-12-114) requires firearms a juvenile can access to be safely and securely stored, and for a good reason: Firearm-related injuries are now the leading cause of death in US children ages 1 to 19 (CDC).
We can reduce incidents of unintentional shootings by securing our firearms — all the time, but especially if a juvenile will be in our home — and by talking to parents in the homes our children visit. A secured firearm could have made the difference in the unintentional shooting our community experienced in April 2022, when 6-year-old Roy Summers died from an unlocked and loaded gun in his Larimer County home. While millions of responsible gun owners follow recommended storage practices, an estimated 54% do not lock all their guns, let alone store them unloaded, locked, and separate from ammunition (American Journal of Public Health).
There’s not a parent among us who doesn’t send their child to school without at least occasionally experiencing a fleeting fear of a shooter entering the school building. What we may not recognize is that securing our firearms and talking to others about the Colorado secure storage law makes our school buildings safer. A study by the Secret Service found that in 76% of school shootings perpetrated by a juvenile, the firearms were obtained from the shooter’s home or the home of a close family member. In half of the cases, the weapon was readily accessible or not secured in a meaningful way.
As frightening as the prospect of a mass shooting is, the statistics show that your child is far more likely to die by suicide with a gun. In fact, 75% of firearm deaths in Colorado are suicides — a method that, with its 90% fatality rate, does not leave a second chance for an impulsive teen (Everystat. org). Securing our firearms can give a child experiencing (an often temporary) crisis the time to have second thoughts, ask for help, or to come on the radar of an adult who can help them.
I recognize this can be a complex topic to discuss; however, as parents, we already have conversations about safety when our children spend time in others’ homes. We easily discuss allergies, seat belts, life jackets, helmets, and movie ratings. Adding one more question is as simple as saying, “My pediatrician recommended I always ask if there are any unsecured firearms in homes my kid visits.”
Children are dying of gun violence in our community, and we all have the potential to be impacted. Recently, a teenager had an unsecured gun at a Poudre School District middle school football game. It was said there were no dry eyes in the Poudre Valley Hospital ER the day staff tried to save 6-year-old Roy Summers. A teen you know may be contemplating suicide — it might even be your child. The simple act of securing our guns and having a conversation with others will make a difference.
You can learn more about how to normalize the conversations surrounding secure storage by visiting Project Childsafe (https://projectchildsafe. org/) and the American Academy of Pediatrics website (https://healthychildren.org). Free gun locks are available through the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office.
Jennifer S. Brooks is a Larimer County resident who lost a loved one to a gun suicide in 2011.