WILL A HANDGUN MAKE YOUR HOME SAFER?

WILL HAVING A HANDGUN AT HOME—

MAKE YOUR FAMILY SAFER?

THE FACTS BEHIND THE NEWS
Ellen S. Alberding President of the Joyce Foundation points out, in the July 9th issue of the New York Times, a recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that in 2007 in the US more than 2,000 children were killed and another 12,370 were injured by gunfire.

According to the Journal of Trauma “guns in the home are 11 times more likely to be used in suicide attempts and four times more likely to be involved in accidents than used in self defense".

The article goes on to say there is little evidence of any public health or safety benefits of privately owned guns. Keeping a gun at home puts your children at risk. During the last few days the papers have given a lot of publicity to two instances of homeowners shooting and killing home invaders. Much less attention was given to an 8 yr old shot by her13 yr old brother, or a wife shot and killed by her husband, or a 16 yr old who killed himself with his father’s gun.

Many gun owners believe they can keep guns away from children. In a recent survey of parents and children at a family health clinic in rural Alabama, 39% of the parents thought the children did not know the location of household guns, 22% thought their children had never handled a household gun. The children’s reports told a different story. The result were the same even when the guns were locked up and the parents had discussed gun safety.

Having guns in the household can make a tragic difference when teenagers get emotionally depressed or angry. Access to guns means increased suicide risk. The Harvard School of Public Healthsays most often young suicide victims use a gun belonging to a family member usually a parent. A gunshot is quick and irreversible. 90% of suicide attempts with a gun are fatal compared with 2% of drug overdoses and 3% of cutting.

Women are particularly at risk in household with guns. The Illinois Coalition against Domestic Violence, states that 300,000 women and children are subject to violence in their homes each year in the State of Illinois. Abused women are five times more likely to be killed by their abuser if the abuser owns a gun.

Dr. David Hemenway of the Harvard School of Public Health< “where there are more guns, there is more death, more homicide, and more gun accidents". BE CAREFUL! The life you save maybe your own.