Every day children in the US are injured or killed by guns. Over half of all accidental shootings involve a child or teenager.

Although statistics show that gun violence is decreasing, 1 in 5 teenage boys admits to taking a weapon to school with him at least once in the past year. School shootings are becoming more common. Almost half of all high school students said they could get a gun if they wanted to. The reality is that your child, at some point, will probably come in contact with a gun. It is very important for your child to know how to be safe around guns.

As a parent, there are things that you can do to protect your child and other children.

How can I protect my child?

The American Academy of Pediatrics states that the best way to keep children safe from injury or death from guns is to not have a gun in the home. However, just because you don’t have guns in your home does not mean that your children are safe from the dangers of guns.

• Check out the places where your children visit and play and make sure that if there are guns, they are safely stored.
• Teach your children that they should never touch a gun. Tell them if they see a gun to leave the area and tell an adult. Repeat this message regularly.
• Start talking with your child about gun safety at an early age. If your child shows an interest in firearms, even toy pistols or rifles, that’s the time to talk to your children about guns. Talk to your kids about the differences between violence on TV and in video games and real life violence.
• Teach your child to express frustrations and anger in positive ways. Help your child learn to use words, rather than a gun, to resolve conflicts. Teach your child to stay away from children who threaten violence and to report any threats to school officials or to you.
• Watch for signs of depression or change in behavior. Children and teens may use a gun to commit suicide or to hurt others. If your teen has severe mood swings or gets depressed, remove and store the gun outside the home for the time being.
• Teach teens to avoid people and places where they suspect violence might flare up easily, such a parties where there will be drugs and alcohol.

If you own a gun:

• Keep your gun unloaded and locked up. Hide the keys where children can’t find them. Only the parents should know where guns are kept.
• Store the ammunition separately. Make sure that it is locked up.
• Lock up the gun cleaning supplies. They are often poisonous.
• Put trigger locks on all firearms.
• When handling and cleaning a gun, never leave it unattended, even for a second. A child as young as 3 has the finger strength to pull a trigger.

What about toy guns and BB guns?

• Before using BB guns or toy guns that shoot objects, children and teens need to learn how to handle the guns properly, just as they would with a real gun.
• Make sure that toy guns don’t look like real guns. They should be brightly colored. Playing with toy guns could make it easier for a young child to mistake a real gun as a toy. Police officers could also mistake a toy gun for a real gun in your child’s hands.
• Make sure that the sound of a toy gun or BB gun isn’t too loud. This could cause hearing loss. Children should wear hearing protection if necessary.
• BB guns can kill. It is recommended that only kids 16 years of age and older use BB or pellet guns.
• Toy guns that shoot objects could cause eye injuries. Kids should wear protective eye wear when using them. They should only be used under strict adult supervision.

There truly are no “safe” places. The reality is that your child, at some point, will probably come in contact with a gun. It is very important for your child to know how to be safe around guns. Teaching children about guns can be life-saving information they will carry into adulthood.