ORLANDO, FL (Ivanhoe Newswire) — June is national gun violence awareness month. Last year, Americans purchased more than 16 and a half million guns. Among 64 high-income countries, the United States stands out for its high levels of gun violence. In 2022, more than 20 thousand people died from firearm deaths, excluding suicides. One thousand, six hundred and seventy-six of the deaths were children. Gunlocks
Washington University Pediatrician Emergency Physician at St. Louis Children’s Hospital Lindsay Clukies says it’s becoming all too common to see kids with bullet wounds.
“We see multiple kids every week, um, sometimes more than one in a day. it’s up to us to put a barrier between a child and a firearm,” said Clukies, MD.
That’s why they spear-headed a program called no questions asked, in their level one trauma hospital.
“It’s a very simple concept. we put a basket of free gun locks in our triage waiting room,” shared Clukies, MD.
According to a report by the CDC, 85 percent of unintentional firearm deaths among children could have been prevented if the firearm had been stored with a gunlock. The National Shooting Sports Foundation also recommends using gunlocks. They offer free gunlocks to gun owners nationwide through their Project Child Safe program.
“I always say that the scream of a parent or a guardian or a caregiver, um, once we tell them that their child is shot and not survived, is something that I can’t describe. It’s something that I’ll never forget,” spoke Clukies, MD.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation also recommends using gunlocks. They offer free gunlocks to gun owners nationwide through their project child safe program.
To find out how to get a free gun lock in your neighborhood, go to projectchildsafe.org.
Sources:
https://abcnews.go.com/US/3-year-boy-fatally-shoots-handgun-left-nightstand/story?id=97252769
Contributors to this news report include: Marsha Lewis, Producer; Roque Correa, Videographer and Editor.
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