Author: BethJoslinRoth

According to a recent analysis published in the Journal of Urban Health, an estimated 4.6 million American children reside in a household where at least one gun is kept loaded and unlocked, an estimate that is more than twice as high as estimates reported in 2002, the last time a nationally representative survey assessed firearm storage practices.

Kids find guns and unintentionally shoot themselves or others with alarming regularity. Unsecured firearms are a also leading means of youth suicide. And, children often use guns from home to commit school shootings.  It is estimated that as many as sixty five percent of school shooters use a gun owned by a relative.  Continue Reading →

In the first thirteen days of March, there have been thirteen shootings involving children with access to firearms. Four of them occurred on the same day.

Already in March:
13 incidents
7 children were injured
4 children were killed
2 adults were injured

6 children shot a sibling
3 children shot a family member other than a sibling
2 children shot themselves
1 child shot a friend
1 child shot a bystander/neighbor

Incidents so far this month:

Continue Reading →

In the first 28 days of 2018, there have already been 26 unintentional shootings involving children with access to unsecured firearms.  These shootings resulted in 19 injuries and 7 deaths.  Five of the fatalities were children under the age of 8.  Eleven of the shooters were under the age of 13.

Of the 26 shootings so far this year, twelve took place in a one week span, between January 21st and January 28.  During that time, eight children were injured and four were killed.  Three of those shootings took place in Texas.

In the entire month of January 2017, there were 22 shootings involving children with access to unsecured firearms.

The ongoing problem with children shooting themselves or other children with unsecured guns is not getting better. Continue Reading →

Responsible storage means storing guns responsibly at all times, whether they are in a home or in a vehicle. Leaving guns unsecured in cars not only greatly increases the chances of theft, it also greatly increases the chances of a child finding the gun and pulling the trigger.  So far this year, there have been 24 cases of a child shooting themselves or someone else in a car. 

Six of those shootings have occurred this month. Continue Reading →