For kids, the safety is ‘off’

Two years ago, four children playing in a bedroom were briefly unsupervised when their mother went to use the bathroom. That’s when a 2-year-old boy shot her 11-year-old sister with an unsecured pistol. The bullet slammed into her arm, passed through her chest and tore her heart. She was pronounced dead at a local Philadelphia hospital.

Too often we hear about accidental shootings involving kids, or youth attempting or completing suicide with unsecured firearms. Every time we learn about these cases is a tragic reminder that we’re failing them.
It’s polarizing and vexing, but the conversation about responsible gun ownership in Pennsylvania is growing louder and more urgent. This isn’t a reaction to any nightmarish mass-shooting that seized the attention of the nation, but a consequence of too many such nightmares.

Every year, 400 Pennsylvanians under 20-years-old are treated for firearm-related injuries, according to Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation. This number does not include children who die from their injuries.
For youth, more than 75% of gun-related suicide attempts involved a gun kept in the home of the victim or someone they knew, like a relative or a friend.

Nationally, victims of accidental shootings are more than three times as likely to have a firearm in their homes. 73% of children under 10 know where parents keep their guns and, contrary to what their parents say, 36% admit handling them.

This week, which included National Gun Violence Awareness Day, Philadelphia Council President Darrell Clarke’s bill to require gun owners to store firearms and ammunition in secured and separate containers, easily won the approval of a safety committee and could see a council vote later this month.

Lawmakers across the state are also responding to growing concern around gun laws, including a 2013 poll by Quinnipiac University that revealed 95% of PA voters support background checks. Dramatically at odds with the will of the commonwealth, a bill sponsored by House Speaker Mike Turzai seeks to shutter Pennsylvania Instant Check System in favor of the national one. But Montgomery County State Representative Madeleine Dean, co-chair of the House Firearms Safety Caucus, says the commonwealth’s system is superior.

“The Pennsylvania system has proven to be a more comprehensive search tool—keeping guns out of the hands of criminals who would have otherwise been able to purchase them,” Dean said.

Also from Montco, Representative Todd Stephens’ bill to restore mandatory minimums for violent armed criminals passed the House and is currently before the Senate for consideration.

Gun safety affects everyone but there is particular cause for alarm when it impacts our children and youth—and it certainly does in our state. Gun suicide and homicide combined is the leading cause of death for all Pennsylvanians under 21, reports the Daily News’ Helen Ubinas.

Make a difference as we urge legislators to compromise on a responsible budget that strengthens investments in our children! Join PCCY as we meet face-to-face with legislators in Harrisburg to fight for adequate funding for our schools and expansion of pre-K. Contact Shirlee 215-563-5848 x34

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This week at the NRA annual meeting, an instructor urged gun owners to store firearms in their children’s bedroom: “If your kid is going to break into the safe just because it’s in their room, you have a parenting issue, not a home defense issue.” Rob Pincus, NRA instructor. Read more.

“I would rather be singled out by the soda industry than to have my grandchild single me out because I failed him when I had the chance to do something. Join us, support Mayor Kenney’s soda tax.” Minister Rodney Muhammad, President, Philadelphia NAACP.  Read it here!