Radio Commentary
Sadly, firearms are second only to motor vehicle accidents
in their claim on young lives.
Research indicates that educational
efforts aimed at persuading young people to behave responsibly around guns are
limited in their effectiveness.
Parents must monitor children’s
exposure to guns and protect them from unsupervised use. Any stored guns in a
home should be locked, unloaded, and separated from ammunition.
Community leaders can also help.
They can promote young people’s safety by sending unequivocal messages that gun
violence is not an acceptable way to resolve conflict.
It’s also been shown that requiring
safety features on guns could reduce unintentional shootings among children and
youth.
In addition, emerging technologies
will enable manufacturers to personalize guns and prevent unauthorized users
from operating them.
Most important, as a society we
must limit the flow of illegal guns to youth. Federal and state laws regarding
guns sales should be tightened so that fewer weapons are accessible to young
people.
The physical, economic, and
emotional toll of gun violence against young people is unacceptable, regardless
of one’s position on adult ownership and use of guns.
