Lil' Wayne and I have some things in common. We were both good students, smart kids, who, at the age of 13, handled the gun of an older relative. Holding the handle, I avoided the trigger, but silently, stared down the barrel until I could make out the bullet. I put the gun back in it's worn paper bag, and back into my Grandmother's nightstand.
Lil' Wayne's gun went off and the bullet went through his chest, just missing his heart. He described slipping in his own blood trying to get help.
Many people believe that having a gun in the home provides safety in the case of home invasion. In 2009 it was estimated that 1/2 of American homes have guns. Pediatrics' Gun Safety Guide states that a firearm in the home is up to 43 times more likely to kill or injure a family member or friend than an intruder.
Picture a curious child. See that spouse in a fit of rage against the other, or suicidal thoughts brought on by alcohol and drug use, poor health, poor finances. According to the 7/17/1989 Time magazine article, covering the week of 5/1/89 to 5/7/89, during which 464 U.S. gun deaths occurred, "Despite the cry over street gangs and drug dealers, the week's homicides typically involved people who loved, or hated each other....People in the grip of despondency or disease who turned their weapons on themselves accounted for 216 deaths, nearly half the total. This article, published before my senior year in high school, with its stories of suicide, unintentional gun deaths and so many faces to go with them, convinced me to pursue a career in medicine.
These figures are old I know, and fortunately, the numbers have gone down, but any gun death, with suicide and unintentional gun deaths being especially preventable, is one too many. In 2005, 68% of unintentional gun deaths and 75% of suicides using firearms occurred in the home, occurred in the home according to the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality World Report (MMWR) in April, 2008.
In May, 2010, the MMWR reported that in 2007, 57% of deaths were suicides, and 0.7% were unintentional gun deaths. How many occurred in the home? An average of seventy percent occurred in the home and 51% involved guns.
The highest number of unintentional gun deaths that year occurred in ages 15-19. Parents probably assume kids in this age group know better. Twenty-three percent of those deaths occurred while playing with the gun.
Numerous intellectual outlets, have found that the trend in the data found was that, "both firearm prevalence and questionable storage practices (i.e. storing firearms loaded and unlocked) were associated with higher rates of unintentional firearm deaths." This quote is from the Harvard Injury Control Center, which did a review of 24 articles featured in publications such as Aggression and Violent Behavior, Journal of Trauma, American Journal of Public Health, Pediatrics, and Injury Prevention. This of course also applied to completed suicide attempts and homicide. Lastly, thousands of guns are stolen every year.
What can you do?
1. Lock your handguns. Check for local gun shows for information or even a free lock.
2. Store them unloaded
3. Separate ammunition from the gun and store in a locked container.
4. Apply external safety devices to your gun. Your local police dept. might provide them.
5. Address the curiosity of children in the house, and alert them to the dangers of handling a gun, so they don't find out on their own, alone or with friends.
The Eddie Eagle Program sponsored by the National Rifle Association has advice for children when they come across a gun:
1. STOP!
2. Do not touch it!
3. Leave the area.
4. Tell an adult!
Had I not been so lucky during my few minutes of very poor judgment, I may not have been able to give you this information. I may not have been here at all. Too many loving and talented people were not so fortunate, and we'll never know what they had to offer.
For more information, see About.com's Pediatrics Gun Safety Guide and the Kids' Health's Gun Safety page.
Be safe. Be successful.
Rapp, M.D.
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