Kids and guns
Unsecured, loaded firearms are a tragedy in the making.
Texas is No. 1 in the nation on a tragic list. Our state had the most unintentional child shootings in 2016, according to Moms Demand Action, a grassroots advocacy group. At least 15 incidents of a person age 17 or under unintentionally killing or injuring someone with a gun have occurred so far, with a tally of seven deaths and eight injuries. Six of those shootings have taken place in the greater Houston area.
Even the youngest children are at risk. Toddlers have shot at least 23 people nationwide as of May, according to the Washington Post, some fatally. Texas and Missouri are tied for second place in this category with seven shootings.
Many factors contribute to these grim statistics. The reckless behavior of adults, such as leaving a loaded gun laying around in a house with children, should be strongly prosecuted. Fourteen people over an eight-year period ending in 2014 were charged in Harris County for making a firearm accessible to a child, according to the district attorney’s office, as reported by Chronicle reporter Rebecca Elliott.
Another contributing factor needs attention: the overconfidence of parents or guardians. Parents and caregivers who believe young children don’t know where their guns are hidden or how to access them are too often wrong. Take the case of the 7-year-old in Brazoria County who accidentally shot himself in the head last month when he got into his grandfather’s locked gun cabinet. The boy went to lengths to find the key.
A Harvard study supports the commonsense notion that kids may know more about their parents’ guns than their parents think they do. More than 70 percent of children surveyed under age 10 knew where their parents stored their guns — even when they were hidden.
Around 1.7 million children live in homes with guns that are unloaded and unsecured, according to a report by the nonprofit Everytown for Gun Safety. Adults must always assume that children know where their guns are stored and, if locked, where the key is hidden. They should unload their guns of ammunition and take immediate action to set up a truly child-proof system.
Gun ownership in Texas is on the rise, and first-time owners may not have had experience in the safe storage of guns. While owning a gun is a personal decision, storing guns responsibly is a public safety issue.
Kids around unsecured and loaded guns are a tragedy waiting to happen. Prosecution of irresponsible gun owners are one deterrent. But ultimately, heightened vigilance and action will be the only way to end these senseless deaths.