This blog post discusses topics related to suicide, death, and violence, which some of you may find distressing. If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of self-harm or experiencing any form of violence, please seek professional help or contact a crisis support service (listed below) immediately.
Reader discretion is advised.
Firearm violence is a complex topic for me to write on, but this issue needs to be addressed and interventions at various levels encouraged. As parents, you are not just bystanders but key players in the fight against firearm violence. There are actions you can take to effect change and protect your children.
INTRODUCTION
There has been a steady and alarming increase in the rates of firearm violence in the U.S. This is not a distant problem, but a pressing issue that demands our immediate attention. Firearm violence includes firearm-related deaths from homicides, suicides, non-fatal injuries, and unintentional deaths. The current U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory on June 25th, 2024, about firearm violence in the U.S., declaring it a public health crisis.
According to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), since 2020, there has been a shift in the leading cause of death for U.S. children and adolescents (age 1 to 19) from motor vehicle crashes to firearm-related injuries. In addition, the death rate from firearm injury in this age group overtakes other causes, such as cancer, poisoning, or drug overdose. In 2022 alone, over 48,000 people died from firearm-related injuries. This comes to about 132 people dying from firearm-related injuries every day in 2022 alone. Over 40% of those were due to homicides. These numbers are sobering, especially because something can be done to reduce the amount of fatalities from firearms drastically.
PREVENTION OF FIREARM VIOLENCE
A comprehensive approach is needed to prevent firearm violence in our communities.
Prevention can be at the individual, household, community, state, and national levels.
The ultimate goal of prevention is to make it difficult for children and youths to access firearms. However, the SAFEST home for any child or youth is one without guns.
HARM REDUCTION
- PROMOTE SAFE GUN STORAGE: According to the AAP(American Academy of Pediatrics), 85% of firearm deaths in children less than 12 years of age occur in the home. This statistic underscores the critical importance of safe firearm storage. Ensure that the firearm is unloaded and stored in a locked safe. Ensure ammunition is separated from the gun and stored in a separate safe. Firearms can be locked up in a firearm safe, cable lock, lockbox, or trigger lock.
- Asking Saves Lives: When your child goes on play dates, ask about firearms in their friend’s homes before any play date. If you are worried about your child’s safety, invite the other child to your house instead. The ASK (Asking Saves Kids) campaign by AAP and Bradyunited.org is a good resource. Information about these is in the links below.
- Control Firearm Access: For your teenagers, you must control firearm access until the age of 18, at least.
- Removal of firearms from the home: Especially in homes with young kids or homes with individuals with suicidal ideation, homes with a history of intimate partner violence, violent acts, or substance use disorders.
- Firearm safety designs like trigger locks and personalized, innovative gun safety technology should be instituted and required to use firearms.
- Firearm safety regulations.
- Community violence prevention programs: Studies have shown an association between poverty and increased firearm violence. Community Programs involve protective factors to alleviate poverty and prevent firearm injuries. Some of these programs include – Improvement of public health, public transportation, and ensuring environmental safety and safe housing. – Also, as parents, advocate for community-based interventions where firearm restrictions are placed in certain locations, such as public places like airlines, hospitals, etc.
- Legislation at the state and federal levels: 1. Universal background checks at the State and Federal levels should be instituted before anybody can procure firearms. 2. Regulations for the buyers of firearms should increase the age limits for certain types of weapons, require buyers to obtain a permit or license, and require a waiting period before they can purchase. 3. Safety training that is evidence-based and standardized should be compulsory for all buyers of guns. 4. Prevention of Child Access to Firearm Laws: These laws vary across states in the United States. In summary, these laws hold firearm owners liable if a child can or does access the firearm. 5. Extreme Risk Protection Order Laws or Red Flag Laws: These laws are put in place in some states to prevent prohibited individuals at risk of harming themselves or others from purchasing or owning a firearm by court. 6. Ban of Semi-automatic military-style weapons and high-capacity magazines. There should be legislation to ban these, which seem to be the ones commonly used in mass shootings. 7. Advocacy Groups: As a parent, you can form community advocacy groups to bring attention to the impact of Gun violence in our communities or join the many established advocacy groups (this list is by no means exhaustive. Check your local communities for gun safety advocacy groups) :
- Everytown.org: https://www.everytown.org/
- Sandy Hook Promise: https://www.sandyhookpromise.org/
- Franciscan Action Network: https://franciscanaction.org/
- Wear Orange: https://wearorange.org/
- Nuns Against Gun Violence: https://nunsagainstgunviolence.org/
- Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence: https://www.bradyunited.org/
- Project unloaded: https://projectunloaded.org/
Children are SAFER when firearms are stored appropriately (as indicated above) in the home.
Children are SAFEST when firearms are stored outside the home.
Suicide Resources
- National 988 Crisis Line – call or text 988, or chat 988lifeline.org
- Crisis Textline: text TALK to 741741
- Veterans Crisis Line: Call 800-273-8255 or text 838255
- Disaster Distress Helpline: Call 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. (2023). National Center for Health Statistics Mortality data on CDC WONDER [Database]. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://wonder.cdc.gov/Deaths‑byUnderlying‑Cause.html
https://www.aap.org/en/news-room/campaigns-and-toolkits/gun-safety/
https://www.bradyunited.org/programs/end-family-fire/ask-to-end-family-fire
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