I believe guns should be properly secured. But I’m not an idiot. I know that children will get unauthorized access to firearms as surely as they get unauthorized access to porn and booze and cigarettes. The only gun safety parents can truly count on exists between their children’s ears. If the sprogs know the four rules of gun safety, if they listen to Eddie, if they learn to respect firearms in all situations, that plus secure storage (for little ‘uns) would reduce firearms-related unintentional injuries. At the risk of further inflaming my detractors . . .
Are unintentional firearms injuries and fatalities really worth so much ink and agita? As one of our commenters pointed out, the focus on firearms is down to the media’s mantra “if it bleeds it leads.” Another poisoned child? Another auto-related injury? Ho-hum. A kid shooting another kid with daddy’s gun? BIG NEWS!
That’s just the way it is. Human nature and all. The chart above – sourced from the National Safety Council’s Injury Facts 2015 Edition – lacks the visceral impact of crime scene tape fluttering in the breeze over spent casings on the local news, combined with pictures of a smiling toddler killed or injured by gunfire. But reasonable people use reason to address problems. Education is the smart, sensible way to tackle unintentional firearms-related injuries and deaths.
Here’s hoping the NRA or some other pro-gun group understands that it’s OK to talk about the potential downsides of gun ownership, and educate the public on how to educate their children. Forewarned is forearmed, for both parents and society in general.