Two-thirds of firearm deaths can be prevented. Kansas City, lock up those guns | Opinion
A recent letter in The Kansas City Star pointed out the inaccuracy of calling shootings by a child “accidental” when, in fact, those shootings are preventable. A simple way to prevent those tragic deaths: Securely store all firearms kept in the home.
Safe storage of firearms is the mission of Grandparents for Gun Safety, a 10-year-old local grassroots nonprofit. That commitment fuels Lock It For Love, our signature program that gives away high-quality gun locks and educational materials promoting responsible gun ownership. Since Lock It For Love began in 2017, our volunteers have distributed more than 5,220 free gun locks at some 200 community events throughout the metropolitan area.
The need is undisputed. You may be surprised to know homicides account for only one-third of gun deaths — while fully two-thirds are preventable deaths, by suicide or unintentional shootings. We at Grandparents for Gun Safety hope by distributing free gun locks, we’ll help reduce the number of deaths from curious toddlers picking up an unsecured loaded gun and shooting themselves or someone else, a teenager or adult feeling despondent over a short-term problem, or a military veteran suffering service-related trauma.
Research shows that in many cases, fewer than 10 minutes elapse between the time someone considers suicide to an actual attempt. A properly stored firearm that isn’t easily accessible adds precious time between thought and action. That’s critical, because when firearms are used in suicide attempts, about 85% end up fatal.
In addition, firearms are now the leading cause of death for American children and adolescents, a shocking statistic not shared by any other comparable country in the world.
As sales of firearms have skyrocketed particularly among first-time buyers, we’re committed to distributing more free gun locks to protect more people, especially children. This year, we’re launching a second distribution model by enlisting third parties to give out locks, including staff members at pediatric medical practices and shelters for domestic violence victims.
Through collaborating with national gun reform groups, we’ve learned gun owners and non-owners alike share many beliefs about responsible ownership and the need for secure storage. We also know the public overwhelmingly supports common-ground reforms such as universal background checks, extreme risk protection orders (red flag laws) and most critically, a federal ban on assault weapons.
Sadly, those reforms will be challenging to enact because of the barrage of disinformation disseminated by groups whose primary goal is to prevent such progress. Simultaneously, these groups and their supporters work feverishly to encourage legislators to make buying and owning firearms easier by lowering age requirements and loosening other sensible restrictions.
Perhaps the most egregious example of disinformation is the statistically disproven phrase, “Guns make you safer.” Data in multiple research studies, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to nonprofit organizations such as the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Violence and the Brady Center, show a gun in the home is many times more likely to be used to kill or injure someone in a domestic dispute, suicide or unintentional shooting than it is to be used in self-defense.
We trust mainstream media to verify the information they report is correct before sharing it with the public. But it’s also incumbent on all of us to distinguish between reliable information from multiple credible sources and disinformation designed to intentionally mislead, distort and inflame. We can combat disinformation by sharing correct information — with the media, our lawmakers and one another.
Grandparents for Gun Safety is committed to building a community where all of us feel safe from gun violence whether that be homicides, suicides or preventable deaths. Safely securing all guns in the home is a valuable first step.
This story was originally published January 22, 2023 at 6:00 AM.