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I highly doubt you are more likely to become a victim if you have a gun in your home.
My Doctor has never asked me about guns in my home, I know for a fact my Doc has some too though.
I guess this may be a bigger concern in larger cities but in small town USA with the laws we have here it is never brought up.
I have wondered about the original source of the "more likely to become a victim" material.
Anybody know?
You could ask the clinic who produced the leaflet (Austin Regional Clinic) - they are a big group so I imagine they try and get their facts straight.
However, the news stories seem to bear them out - and it's obvious that the "irresponsible parent" isn't about to go away any time soon.
As the saying goes - you can't legislate against stupidity, so how can you prevent the momentary lapses of concentration which may have been behind many of these deaths?
Wake up folks... do you know how many children (never mind adults) are killed by guns each year? Guns DO kill. Yeah, people use them, but the stats of what can happen if there is trouble in a home and guns are present... the fact that kids will find a way to get to things that are exciting and different... how many people need to die each year before people wake up and smell the java. If I live to be 100 I'll never understand our nations fascination w/ guns is... it is not the wild, wild west anymore folks.
Wake up folks... do you know how many children (never mind adults) are killed by guns each year? Guns DO kill. Yeah, people use them, but the stats of what can happen if there is trouble in a home and guns are present... the fact that kids will find a way to get to things that are exciting and different... how many people need to die each year before people wake up and smell the java. If I live to be 100 I'll never understand our nations fascination w/ guns is... it is not the wild, wild west anymore folks.
There is nothing wrong with guns in the house if they are kept in a proper manner if kids are around. This means in a locked gun safe.
What "stats" are you talking about? Can you produce them?
It makes sense to me that people are more likely to be shot if there is a gun in the house. If there is no gun in the house, the only way someone would get "shot" is if someone brought a gun "into" the house. So it seems likely that there is a higher probability of getting shot if you have a gun in the home because you have the chance of getting shot not only by someone bringing a gun in, but the one that is already there.
But .... is it likely that you will be shot if you have a gun in your home? I think NOT. Like the article pointed out, more kids die from a variety of things, (the article mentioned drowning in a 5 gallon bucket) than gunshots.
We always had guns in the house, as my father is an avid hunter. There were guns, bow & arrows, all kinds of crap for hunting. I never even saw any of those guns in our home and have no idea where they were kept.
Once, after my parents were divorced, I was snooping around my dads apartment, the typical nosy teen, and found a gun in his top drawer of his dresser. I have no idea what kind, it was a silver handgun. I remember thinking it was very heavy. I picked it up, but I was terrified in a very respectful way. I held it for a quick second, then put it down. When he bought his house it had a nice big closet with a deadbolt, and I know he stored his guns there (but for all I know he kept the handgun in the BR)
I have told my son that he should never touch a gun, that they are NOT toys. I have also told him that if he is ever visiting a friend's house and the friend produces a gun from where ever, he needs to tell his friend to put the gun down and leave the room immediately to go find an adult or a phone to call me with. Or if he sees a friend with a gun at anytime other than in a house, he needs to tell an adult right away.
There are endless studies and statistics showing the high rate of childhood injury and mortality in the USA caused by firearms, but if you want to find fault with these studies - you will. There is always a grey area in any study.
If you want to believe guns can be safe around children, then I am sure you will continue to believe it.
If you want to read the studies objectively, they are easy to find...such as here....
A number of states passed generic dangerous inanimate object child safety laws during the height of the gun control movement in the 1990's.
The current law in Maine began as "gun safety" bill supported by Maine Handgun Control (MHC) and evolved into a very well written law which addressed everything from power tools , to fire hazards , to poisons , to various drowning risks.
The final law actually was about child safety.
The gun confiscation movement wasn't a total waste of time and money , there were some indirect social benefits.
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Child safety is very important.
