KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Bronson Children’s Hospital is reminding the public to keep all firearms secured and out of the hands of children.
The Kalamazoo healthcare center says June is Gun Violence Prevention Month, adding it’s when gun injuries and deaths spike among children and teens as they get out of school for summer vacation.
As part of the initiative, Bronson encourages all of its caregivers to ask, “Are the firearms in your home kept in a safe place and locked?” during routine visits.
Citing data from Project Childsafe, Bronson says guns cause the most deaths among people between 1 and 24 in the United States with 12 gun-related deaths averaging daily.
"Love is protecting our children and the other kids in school. And I know, we all carry the sense that, 'Hey, our kids are fine.' We're educating them on, you know, appropriate use of firearms. Some studies have suggested that teaching kids is not adequate enough, that their guns have to be locked to truly make an impact to save lives," Thomas Huggett, M.D. explained.
We’re told one third of all homes with children under 18 contain at least one gun. Guns are loaded and unlocked in 43% of those homes, which Bronson says means roughly 4.6 million children in the U.S. have access to guns.
“The reality is that children and teens have a deeply ingrained sense of curiosity, which can be exceptionally dangerous in homes having unlocked firearms,” Dr. Huggett added. “This public health concern is one that we have the power to change. Safe storage of guns can prevent unintentional shootings, violence and gun tragedies from happening in our community.”
The hospital says free gun safety locks are available at their pediatricians’ offices thanks to a partnership with Kalamazoo and Van Buren county deputies.
Visit Project Childsafe’s website for a complete list of organizations that offer free safety kits.
Bronson has more gun safety tips and information on its website.
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