Firearm safety education for children
To Comment:
Firearms are very prevalent here in South Dakota. We have some of the best pheasant hunting. Also, deer, elk and duck hunting are very popular. Because of this, a lot of households here have firearms. Gun safety is very important for children and adolescents. According to the Kids Count data center, (2015) there were 29 deaths in South Dakota in 2014 because of an accident, homicide, or suicide. In the Unites States, firearms were the instrument of death in 88% of teen homicides and 41% of teen suicides in 2014 (Child Trends, 2015). Decreasing access of firearms in children and teens is a very important public health issue.
In order to reduce the risk of injury from firearms, all family members should be knowledgeable about gun safety especially children and adolescents. A lot of children don’t understand the finality impact of guns. Children need to be aware of the potential dangers of firearms and how deadly the consequences of using one is. Parents should also be aware that mood disorders like depression and anxiety emerge in adolescence which need to be cared for to help prevent potential suicides.
Firearm safety education should be provided at each well-child and adolescent checkup. The current recommendations on how to store guns properly should be told to parents which includes parents keeping all firearms unloaded with the safety lock in place and stored in a locked safe with the ammunition stored separately in a locked box (Carter, 2013). At the well-child checkup, the provider could ask the child if they know what to do if they come across a firearm while playing and inform them of what they should do. The goal of incorporating this education into well-child and adolescent checkups is to ensure that education is given to each child about firearm safety in hopes of reducing potential accidents, homicides, and suicides.
References
Carter, P. M. (2013). Keeping children safe: Preventing firearm injuries among America’s youth.
Pediatrics for Parents, 29(9/10), 18-19.
Child Trends. (2015). Teen homicide, suicide, and firearm deaths. Retrieved from https://www.childtrends.org/indicators/teen-homicide-suicide-and-firearm-deaths/
Kids Count data center. (2015). Teen deaths by accident, homicide, and suicide. Retrieved from www.kidscount.datacenter.org
Purpose: Commentthe Discussion(Class 505 Unit 8 Comment 2)Kelsey
Thing to Remember:
- Answer this discussion with opinions/ideas creatively and clearly. Supports post using several outside, peer-reviewed sources.
- 1 References, find resources that are 5 years or less
- No errors with APA format 6 Edition