Accidental Shootings

Destini Thompson

Mrs. Hardgrove

AP English

7 March 2018

Intelligence is not derived from the child itself, it originates in the parents or guardians of said child. While growing up, parents teach their children proper manners, but society avoids teaching children the importance of firearm safety. Accidental shootings in the United States are becoming a bigger problem than they used to be; the statistics grow a significant amount each year. Unfortunately, those numbers mainly rise with defenseless children and teens. These adolescents are victims of accidental shootings due to the lack of education they are provided with. Parents are not teaching their children how to properly handle and respect a firearm. Along with the parents, society feels

These accidental shootings occur because parents are not watching their kids. The lack of parental supervision causes more and more shootings every year. Parents who were not taught firearm safety as a child may neglect teaching their young children how to properly act when around a firearm. With the number of school shootings steadily rising in the United States, society must take a step to protect innocent children in their communities. If the parents were to take the time to educate themselves when purchasing a firearm, accidental shootings involving children could decrease significantly. Accidental shootings happen with children as young as two; the child commonly picks up a loaded firearm that was left unattended by the parent. “Smart adults who have guns at home treat them as if they are always loaded, all the time” (Rosenthal 67). If a parent has a young child and owns a firearm, they should consider the proper safety procedures. The parents should purchase a safe or lockbox, and the keys be should hidden or placed out of reach of the child. Locking the weapon away is a safer approach than leaving it in the open for a child to easily access. It is foolish to believe that

This custom of many U.S. families is causing children to grow up forgetting one of the fundamental rules of gun safety: do not point the gun at anyone. By allowing children to pretend to shoot their friend, society is letting them grow up to think they can do that with a real gun. Though they might not have the intention to kill, not growing up with the correct firearm education could lead to more accidental shootings among children and teens. This desensitization of the true harm a firearm can cause in the wrong hands is common because of the parents allowing children to misuse toy guns. A kindergartener from Alliance, Ohio, took a gun to school for show and tell. While staying at his grandmother's house, the five-year-old found an unsecured firearm in the home. The following day, he pulled the .32 caliber revolver out on the bus, excited to show his classmates. The bus driver had to properly take care of the loaded firearm that the child had brought to school. The child had not been taught the difference between a weapon and a toy (Miller). Because the grandmother lacked knowledge on how to properly secure a gun, the child’s life was put in danger. Even worse, the child could have killed, or severely injured his peers that were on the bus with him. This child didn’t know the harm he could have caused because of his firearm awareness being neglected. Simple issues such as the incident in Alliance are