As summer break begins and more children spend their days at home, the Brownsville Police Department is reminding gun owners to safely secure their firearms to help prevent accidental shootings and injuries involving children.
Law enforcement officials say unsecured firearms can quickly become dangerous when children are left unsupervised around the house. Police recommend that all firearms be stored unloaded, locked away, and out of reach of children at all times.
According to Brady United Against Gun Violence, approximately 106 children are accidentally killed by firearms each year in the United States, while more than 2,800 others are unintentionally shot and injured.
Abril Luna, Public Information Officer for the Brownsville Police Department, says responsible firearm storage is one of the most effective ways to keep children safe.
“If parents have guns in their house, it is very important that they keep them out of reach of their children,” Luna said. “That means keep them in storage, keep them locked, keep them as far away as any children can have them.”
Luna also encourages parents to have conversations with other families before allowing their children to visit a friend’s home.
“See if they own any weapons and if they do, make sure that they are also stored away properly because we have seen incidents where children go to other people’s houses, they have weapons, they play with them, and something happens,” Luna said.
In addition to proper storage practices, police emphasize the importance of ongoing conversations about firearm safety with children.
“I think it is very important that parents keep an open conversation with their children about the risk of handling a gun if they are inexperienced, especially younger children, that they are not toys, and if they do encounter one, to let their parents know that they have seen one,” Luna said.
The Brownsville Police Department encourages parents and guardians to take proactive steps this summer to ensure firearms remain secure and inaccessible to children, helping prevent tragedies before they occur.
Source: City of Brownsville
