A 5-year-old boy in Kentucky accidentally shot and killed his 2-year-old sister. The case has sparked a debate about gun safety and whether a public awareness campaign is needed. Comments from Twitter and Facebook:
Gun safety ads aren't the answer. It's understanding a firearm is a tool not a toy, and some good old common sense.
I don't know if gun safety ads would prevent accidents. I'd hope so. Regardless, it is worth it to try.
I believe a campaign would help prevent accidents. Gun owners need more education and training about safety.
Unless you publish ads in the "Congressional Record," it won't matter. The public is aware; legislators don't care.
Regardless of your opinion of the NRA, it does tons for gun safety classes and training.
The NRA conducts firearms safe classes for most age groups, and its Eddie Eagle Gun Safe Program teaches children "If you see a gun: Stop! Don't touch. Leave the area. Tell an adult." This is certainly a lifesaving message.
— William Ewart
Teach kids gun safety, but do it when they are old enough to know the difference between shootings in cartoons and real life where people die. A 5-year-old should play with a cap gun or at most a BB gun (under supervision), not a weapon that fires live ammo.
— William Travis
A loose gun should be locked up, but parents shouldn't keep their kids in the dark about it. Children will learn about guns sooner or later. It's better that they learn from their parents and not from someone or something else.
— Justin Prusak
Any formal instruction is good. Simply saying that it's the parents' job to train proper handling of guns is simplistic because many parents will not or cannot teach safety. Just as many parents fail to teach children that stealing or bullying is wrong.
— James Rubner
Improve mental health care to prevent suicides
Letter to the editor:
As an emergency physician, I see the tragic consequences of gun violence and speak with colleagues regularly who share horrible stories about the victims they treat or, in several cases, attempt to save ("Study: Many suicidal kids have access to guns at home").
The American College of Emergency Physicians deplores the improper use of firearms and supports legislative action to decrease the threat to public safety. We urge policymakers to ban the sale of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and also to restore dedicated funding for research into firearms injury prevention.
But it doesn't end there. We cannot have a conversation about gun violence without taking a long, detailed look at mental health in this country, including suicide prevention.
The lack of mental health resources in the United States has contributed to a significant increase in visits to emergency departments. Psychiatric emergencies grew by 131% between 2000 and 2007, according to a recent study in Annals of Emergency Medicine. This is symptomatic of the lack of resources for these patients.
Funding needs to be available for increased research on violence prevention in general, as well as to implement sufficient access to mental health services.
Andrew Sama, president, American College of Emergency Physicians; Manhasset, N.Y.