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Last Updated: Oct 4th, 2008 - 09:05:52
Guns - Serious Business in the Home
By Sarah Lane
Oct 1, 2008, 14:34
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Guns - Serious Business in the Home
Your child has an endless supply of energy. You wonder how one little being can be so motivated as to spend hours upon hours in constant activity. You hear them say:
- Can I go play outside
- Can i go over to my friends house
- Can i spend the night
So you extend the curfew, give them permission for an extended stay at their friends, or even let them spend the night.
You know that they will be safe.
You trust the families in your neighborhood who are trying to raise healthy, happy kids just like yours.
In reality, your home and the home of your children's friend might have the safety net of a drive by shooting. If you or anyone your child comes in contact with has an unlocked firearm, is no longer a matter of trust. Is a matter of life and death.
- Over 22 million children live in a home with a firearm.
- A child dies every 7 hours in a gun related accident or suicide.
- 30% of handguns are stored unlocked and loaded.
Guns are a serious business and not something to be taken lightly. Hopefully, yove addressed these concerns with your kids and taught them basic rules about firearms. Does this mean they wot mess around with a gun in your home or the home of someone else? Not necessarily.
Two-thirds of the students in grades 6-12 say they could get a firearm in 24 hours. Possession of a gun is all it takes to cause an accidental shooting or death. According to a Josephson Institute of Ethics survey of more than 15,000 teenagers, more than 21% of high school boys and 15% of middle school boys took a weapon to school at least once in the past year.
Just because you are positive that your child is aware of the dangers of firearms, doest mean every parent takes the time to follow suit. Be aware of this very real danger that is affecting more than just a few kids.
How safe is your home? What about the homes where your child plays or visits? How about your neighbors? ASK is a national public health campaign that urges parents to ask their neighbors if they have a gun in the home before sending their children over to play. It could help to avoid a gun related accident.
SPEAK-UP is a campaign designed to provide students with an opportunity to help keep themselves and their schools safe. Three out of four school shootings the attackers told other students about their plans beforehand. This means that there is a strong need for better prevention intervention. SPEAK-UP encourages kids that know a student who is carrying a weapon to tell a trusted teacher or adult at school. They should not ignore the fact or assume is a joke.
Of course, yore probably familiar with warnings to keep all firearms locked up and to never store a gun loaded. You might even think yove found a secret spot to keep the keys hidden. If only the entire 40% of American households with children and guns under the same roof actually followed these guidelines. If only the thousands of children who died as a result of improperly stored firearms could be brought back to life.
Your child has an endless supply of energy. Make sure that it stays that way by protecting them from a senseless gun-related death. If yore one of the 80% of Americans who think is important to reduce childres access to guns, do something now to help.
Download our Gun Safety Tips for Parents and Gun Safety Tips for Kids.
Source: RAND Report, NCHS/CDC, Harvard SPH, Hart Research, NIJ, Josephson Institute of Ethics, PAX, Inc.
Additional Learning Links for Gun Safety
Common Sense
You must not leave this site before reading the heartfelt stories of parents whve lost their children to guns. Listen to their words and advice.
Source: Common Sense About Kids and Guns
Kids and Guns in America
This is a good paragraph to read to bring you up-to-date on statistics concerning guns. It breaks down the problems concerning guns, the laws already in place, and has a segment titled Kids & Guns: Key Facts with Statistical Information. You decide the relevance of this program.
Source: Brady Campaign
Americans for Gun Safety Foundation
There are many important subjects to cover on this page including universal safety rules, safe storage, cleaning your firearm, the firearms primer, firearms glossary, and the laws in your state. Each section has multiple sub sections. There is also a special guide for teens and a guide for parents.
Source: AGSF
Kis Page F.B.I.
A homepage for kindergarten through 5th grade, the F.B.I. awareness and gun safety page will guide you on a field trip. The bomb sniffing black Labradors will introduce you to all kinds of people who are involved with safety issues. Just click on the school bus.
Source: F.B.I.
National Safe Kids Campaign
This article titled Firearms, Protecting Your Family, will tell you what gun owners and caregivers should know about firearm safety. It also tells you why kids are at risk, how to protect communities, and answers frequently asked questions.
Source: SAFE KIDS
Press Release (AD)
The purpose of ads like these, are to make you aware of gun safety and the danger of ignoring the facts.
Source: The U.S. Conference of Mayors
What Kids Know About Guns
A section for parents called Kids Health has an article about kids and guns, related articles, and additional resources. Find out the startling statistics concerning childres exposure to violence, and the ramifications of toy guns.
Source: The Nemours Foundation
Physician and Public Education
An article on Gun Safety Tips titled Unload It & Lock It will give you even more information on how to be responsible with firearms. It includes how to talk to your children about the potential danger of firearms.
Source: Minnesota Medical Association
Character Counts
Find out what people today are doing to create an ethical environment for their kids.
Source: The Josephson Institute of Ethics
© Copyright 2008 by Classbrain.com
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