GUN
SAFETY
Lock & Unload
|
| According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) a child in the United States is killed every 2 hours by a loaded gun. 43% of American households with children have guns. That means there is a
loaded gun in one in every 10 households with children. Even if your family doesn't have a gun in the home, chances are that your child(ren) will come in contact with a gun at some time during their childhood. Relatives and neighbors own guns that are probably hidden, but children may find them. Children are exposed to guns early on from television, cartoons and movies arousing their natural curiosity.
|
| The best safety measure for gun safety in the home is to avoid having one in your home. However, if you already own a gun or plan to purchase one in the future, following the guide below can help protect your family's health and safety.
|
| IF YOU KEEP A GUN: |
- Always keep your gun unloaded and locked up.
- Lock and store bullets in a separate location.
- Make sure children do not have access to the gun lock keys.
- Ask police for advice on safe storage and gun locks.
|
| IF YOU DO NOT OWN A GUN:
|
- Talk with your children about the risk of gun injury outside the home in places where they may visit and play.
- Tell your children to stay away from guns when they are in the homes of their friends.
- Speak with the parents of your children's friends to determine whether or not they have a gun in the home.
- If they do, urge them to empty it out and lock it up!
|
| Teach the following two safety rules to your children to help protect them.
|
| 1. Only with a parent or with parental permission and adult supervision should a child be around guns. |
| Parents are ultimately responsible for the safety and healthy development of their children. It is a parent's decision whether or not to provide gun safety education to their children. However, children who are raised in homes with guns are equally curious regarding guns and their workings as children who grow up in homes without guns. For this reason all children need to be taught basic gun safety in order to be prepared if they come in contact with a gun when there is no parental permission or adult supervision.
|
| Children should: |
| 2. Stop. Don't Touch. Leave the area. Tell an adult. |
| It is important that all children learn to resist the temptation to pick up a gun. In all cases, children should know to leave the area, and to tell their parent or another responsible adult so that the gun can be properly secured.
|
| For additional information on children and gun safety, please contact your local Police Department for a safety presentation or follow the links to the websites listed below:
|
