Children and guns are two things that don’t go well together. Yet unfortunately for parents, children possess a natural curiosity about guns. They see them on television and enact shooting situations in their play. Which makes it all the more important that parents be proactive on this issue.
Should they happen to discover a gun, they are also liable to play with it in the most destructive way. (See our article: Staring down the barrel). As stated by Dr. Ebel, director of the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center at the University of Washington: “If a child finds a ball, he’ll bounce it; if he finds a gun, he’ll shoot it. The impulse is totally natural.” (Moninger, 2013) A seemingly endless stream of child gun tragedies are testament to this fact.
Just because you don’t own a gun yourself doesn’t mean your children are safe. Kids are often shot when they stumble upon a firearm somewhere else – a relative or friend’s house, in someone else’s car, or in a purse at the doctor’s office. Consider this sobering fact: A study in Pediatrics found that around 1.7 million children under the age of 18 live with a loaded and unsecure gun in their home. (ibid) Suffice it to say that every parent needs to be proactive on this issue. The following information and resources will help you teach gun safety to kids and take precautions that will keep firearms away from children. Please make use of them, and by all means, share this page with a friend!
Gun Safety Information for Parents
Guns for protection: In this book we take a more detailed look at the role guns play in society and dismantle the myth that guns are a practical tool for self defense. A must read for anyone concerned about the gun safety debate.
- Read portions of guns for protection online.
- Get the full eBook: Guns For Protection (Coming soon)
Gun Safety Resources for Kids
- Don’t Play with Guns coloring sheet
- Don’t Touch Mini Book printable mini-book
Is This A Toy printable book
A full color printable children’s book that teaches kids about dangerous items, including guns. Recomended for kids ages 3 to 7.