Safe firearm storage, rules can prevent child deaths

Dec. 6—A recent study found firearms are the leading cause of death for children and teenagers in the U.S.

Deaths rose by 29% from 2019 to 2020, the most recent year with available data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

With many cases of unintentional firearm deaths, law enforcement officers are reminding people about the importance of keeping guns secured and put away.

"Every gun should be treated as if it's loaded," Buchanan County Sheriff Bill Puett said. "That is something we really stress here at the sheriff's office is making sure guns are put away in a safe space so hands that shouldn't have them can't get to them."

The study found that firearms were involved in the deaths of 4,357 children in 2020, and in many of these cases, there was supervision in the home.

Puett said that along with keeping ammo and guns separate, it is important that parents educate children about the severity of playing with guns and the impact they can have.

"With children, you need to take the mysteriousness away from firearms," Puett said. "Education is one of the better things when it comes to weapons. That way it's not a mystery and they don't have a desire to try and discover what a gun is."

Nicholas Williams, the general manager at Brother's Arms, a local business that sells guns, said it is always a good idea for those who own them to take education courses and follow the safety rules of owning a firearm.

"There are four main safety rules I always remind people of when carrying a firearm and it also applies to children," he said. "Always keep the firearm pointed in a safe direction, always treat a firearm as if it is loaded, keep your finger off the trigger unless it is completely necessary to fire and always know your target and what is beyond and around it."

Puett suggests that families consider writing down important gun safety rules and sharing them with people in their households.

The sheriff's office also offers free gun locks through a child safety program that can be picked up during business hours.

Jenna Wilson can be reached at jenna.wilson@newspressnow.com.

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