When Kids Suffer Because Adults Don’t Lock Up Guns

It was an unspeakable tragedy.  A five-year old child discovered a loaded handgun which was unlocked in his father’s home right here in Maryland.  While playing with the weapon, the child shot and killed himself.  His father, Warin Foster, is facing charges of reckless endangerment, allowing a minor to access a firearm, and manslaughter, with more charges pending. The incident is soul-crushing, and is one of many examples of the devastation that unsecured firearms pose.

Numbers Worth Knowing 

With more than half of those polled reporting that there is a gun in their household, it’s very important that adults lock up their weapons in a responsible way. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) one study found that one in four families where guns were owned kept at least one weapon unsecured and loaded at all times. The acting director of the violence prevention division noted that all too often parents are deluded into thinking that their children are unaware of the fact that there is a gun in their house, or, equally naïve, believe that the threat of getting into trouble will keep kids from trying to access the gun.  Clearly, that is not always the case.

Guns in Cars 

Another place that people tend to leave their loaded guns is in their vehicles. It’s really a bad idea, considering that the number of guns stolen from vehicles in the past decade has tripled to nearly 70,000. The result is that cars and trucks are the most frequent source of stolen firearms in the country. Boiling it down, it turns out that every nine minutes a gun is stolen from a vehicle somewhere in America.

Kids and Guns 

What’s the top cause of death for kids aged 0-17 in the United States?  Unintentional injury. And one of the biggest methods of unintentional injury involves firearms. Most victims were in a house or apartment at the time of the injury, but only about half were in their own homes.  That means that even if your home is safe, if your child is in the home of a friend whose parents are less diligent about securing their weapons, there is still a significant risk of injury or death. Two-thirds of kids who shot someone were just goofing around or showing off when the discharge occurred. The shooters were most often a friend, acquaintance, or sibling.

Getting the News 

No parent ever wants to be the recipient of news involving the injury or death of their child. If you’ve received that call and it involved an unsecured gun, you will have to manage your rage along with the misery of your loss. While no amount of money will ever heal your wounds, it can certainly address your financial losses while sending a message to those who recklessly fail to secure their weapons.  To discuss the possibilities, schedule a confidential consultation with an experienced, compassionate La Plata & Waldorf personal injury attorney at The Law Office of Hammad S. Matin, P.A. today.

Source:

times-news.com/news/local_news/update-father-charged-after-boy-5-fatally-shoots-himself/article_aa56a048-23a2-11ef-b540-4b9ff8baa352.html