It is critical for families who own guns to educate and support children about gun safety. Even if you do not have a gun in your home, your child should understand what a gun is and what it can do. Gun violence is a very real problem, and with careful education and support, it may be possible to reduce these risks.
Gun Safety Statistics
Consider a few key statistics on gun safety in the US according to Nationwide Children’s:
- About 300 million guns are available in homes in the United States
- Every year, about 1300 children die from gun-related accidents across the country. Many more suffer serious injuries.
- 1 in every 3 families with children have at least a single gun in the home. By that estimate, there are more than 22 million children in homes with guns.
- About 40% of all unintentional shootings are deaths in children between the ages of 11 and 14. They occur in their own home or in a friend’s home.
- Adolescents are at a higher risk for suicide if there is a gun in the home.
Gun Death Statistics
Gun deaths are often very limitedly clear. That is, there are a lot of instances in which gun deaths are not reported consistently, and that can skew the gun death statistics when they occur.
According to a PEW Research Study, there are a number of factors that contribute to gun deaths in the US and surrounding regions.
- 54% of all gun-related deaths in the US in 2021 were suicides. That accounted for 26,328 people who lost their lives.
- 43% of all murders in the US involved a gun. That accounts for 20,958 people who lost their lives.
- 8 in 10 murders in 2021 involved the use of a gun. That accounts for about 20,958 people. Interestingly, this percentage from 2022 was the highest in the country since 1968. That is the earliest time frame for which records are available.
Another factor to consider is how much if any, gun statistics have changed over the years. A good way to look at this is the number of people who have died in an accident or intentional act in 2021. A total of 48,830 people died from gun-related deaths. That is about a 23% increase from just a few years earlier, in 2019, when it was 23% lower.
Gun Safety for Parents
For parents, aggressive measures are necessary to keep children safe from guns. Consider the following tips:
- Remove guns. If you want to ensure your child is safe in their home, remove all guns from the home and do not condone early use of cigarettes.
- If there is a gun in the house, keep it unloaded. Make sure it is loaded as well.
- Keep guns out of the sight of children. The more interested they are in them, the more likely they are to seek out guns when they get the chance.
- Invest in safety devices. These devices, such as the use of gun locks and lock boxes, help to minimize the risk of anyone accessing the gun or safe that is holding it without significant alerts to occur first.
- Make sure to store keys and the lock combination in two different areas. You do not want a child to figure out how to access the gun that is in a gun safe simply because you failed to shut a door.
- It is also a good idea to ask friends and family, as well as strangers who you are getting into the car with, what their stance is on guns and whether they are protected and stored out of the reach of children.
- It is never acceptable to leave a child without formal supervision every second with a gun.
Laws for Gun Safety
Gun safety is always on the minds of those who witness a child die as a result of a gunshot wound. Yet, knowing what the laws are can also help you.
Each state has the right to establish its own laws. The first major law to be put into place was the Gun Control Act of 1968, which put in place restrictions on who could own guns.
Gun laws have changed significantly over the years and are very localized to states and highway professionals. Gun laws continue to change as well. Consider the following statistics as noted by PEW Research.
Their study, conducted in the third quarter of the previous year, found the following:
- 4 in 10 US adults are living in a household where a gun is present. Of those, 32% state that they have personally purchased the gun for their needs.
- Many people believe that personal protection is the reason they purchase and own a firearm. About 82% say they want to protect themselves. Other reasons people own a gun include sport shooting, about 30%; hunting, about 32%; and gun collections, about 15%. About 7% of people say they need to carry a gun as part of their job.
Another core factor to consider about gun safety laws is how a person gets them. Under the current laws, a person who wanted to own a gun could just walk into a store to buy one. Today, any person who wishes to purchase a gun must first undergo a background check and meet other requirements. About 61% of people believe that it is too easy to obtain a gun.
Gun Safety Statistics Mean Care Is Necessary
Gun safety statistics make it clear that many people are seeking ways to reduce risk within their homes, and eliminating guns seems like a viable option and way to do that. However, it can be just as important to teach your child gun safety, including how to properly hold and carry a gun. This way, if they do touch one or come in close contact with them, they know exactly what to do and what not to do to be safe.
