What Are the Dangers of Guns in Homes With Children?

Many families keep guns in their homes and take every precaution to protect the safety of everyone who lives there. However, even in the safest situations, guns in the home always pose a potential for danger, especially for children. It is important to know the risks of housing weapons, and that the best way to protect a child from the dangers of guns is by not keeping them in your house at all.

Statistics

• To understand the full dangers of having a gun at home within reach of a child, it's important to know the statistics about guns in relation to accidental injuries, homicides and suicides. According to the 2002 edition of Injury Facts from the National Safety Council, the number of kids up to the age of 19 that were killed by a gun was 3,385 in 1999. To break that number down: 1,078 of those deaths were suicides, 1,990 were homicides, 214 were unintentional deaths, 83 cases had intent that couldn't be determined and 20 were due to some form of legal intervention. These numbers include 73 children under 5 years old, 416 children from 15 - 19 years old, and 2,896 were between the ages of 15 and 19.

Unintentional Injury or Death

• Whenever there is a gun or any other type of weapon in the home, there is always a possibility of a child being harmed or killed. It is highly important to speak with your children about gun safety, and make sure that guns are not loaded and always locked up in a special cabinet, and stored separately from ammunition. Unfortunately, having a gun in the home may cause a child to be curious or feel the need to show his or her friends, sometimes resulting in unintentional injury or death.

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Youth Suicide

• While having a gun in the home is never fully to blame for the suicide of a youth, its presence allows what might appear to be a convenient way to perform the act. Statistics show that more than 90 percent of suicide attempts using a gun are fatal. If a gun is easily available to a troubled youth, he or she is at a higher risk for using suicide as a solution to whatever problems the feel they are facing.

Other Guns

• When considering these facts and statistics, remember that there are many different types of guns, and that all are potentially dangerous. Ball-bearing guns, air rifles, pellet or BB guns, and even paintball or airsoft guns pose a risk for injuries to children and teens. Use the same precautions with these weapons that you would with other high-powered guns.