Baby Boomers

Toddlers with guns. A cheap B-movie title, or legitimate safety concern? Though it may seem unlikely, toddlers with firearms kill a surprising amount of people each year. Faced with this unprecedented issue, gun control advocates and dissidents alike have sought an answer to this problem.

The first thing to note about the issue is that it is rare. Toddlers rarely kill people, but it happens more often than one might expect. In fact, the Brady Campaign, a grassroots organization aiming to prevent gun violence, notes that, “Americans are shot by toddlers at least once a week…” The vast majority of these incidents involve the child shooting themselves, either being killed outright, or dying from serious wounds. These incidents are caused by a lack of proper firearm safety practiced at home and in public. The Washington Post notes that, “Missouri and Georgia, for instance, have fairly lax laws regulating how guns are stored to prevent child access.” The two states, incidentally, boast some of the highest rates of child-related gun violence--7 and 8 cases, respectively.

This seems to indicate that this problem may easily be solved, not by greater gun control, but by sensible and safe gun storage at home. Project ChildSafe, a group focused on home gun safety, notes several tips to follow, such as keeping the gun pointed in a safe direction in case of accidental discharge, and always keeping firearms unloaded when not in use. With the proper safety measures in place, this could become a gun issue that America is actually able to resolve.

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