PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Dozens of hospitals throughout the region have launched a new safety campaign aimed at preventing child gun deaths and injuries by encouraging parents to ask questions about guns and gun storage.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, unintentional shootings are the leading cause of death in children ages 1-17. Altogether, gunshot wounds were found to be the leading cause of death in people ages 1-19 over the last two years. The Hospitals Together Initiative, a partnership between 59 hospitals across the Philadelphia area, South Jersey and Delaware, says firearms kill an average of 13 children each day.
Hospitals Together has launched a new campaign to promote awareness of gun deaths among children, called “Doesn’t Kill to Ask.”
“Last year, there were about 377 unintentional shootings involving children, and there were about 145 deaths nationwide,” cited Scott Charles, Temple University Hospital’s trauma outreach manager.
Charles says he’s seen the devastation first hand of children being unintentionally hurt or injured by unsecured guns. “The main goal is to really normalize the idea of having conversations about gun storage,” he said. “It's completely reasonable for somebody to be concerned about the access that children have to firearms.”
He does acknowledge that asking about guns might be uncomfortable and suggests couching the question in a broader conversation about safety in places parents may send their children.
“You know, you might mention what allergies your child may have and ask about what kind of foods that might be there,” he suggested. “Is there a pool there? Or is there a fence around the pool? Is there a gun in the house? Is there a dog in the house?”