Bronson Children’s Hospital Starts New Gun Storage Initiative to Help Keep Kids Safe

June marks the beginning of summer vacation and extended free time for kids across the country. June is also recognized as Gun Violence Prevention Month due to the staggering number of children and teens who are unintentionally injured or killed due to unlocked or unsupervised guns in the home.

Bronson Children’s Hospital is raising awareness about the risks of unsecured guns in the home by empowering all Bronson pediatricians to ask the question during routine well-child visits, “Are the firearms in your home kept in a safe place and locked?” The purpose of this awareness campaign is to mobilize all people — gun owners and non-gun owners alike — to ensure that guns are stored properly in the home to keep children and teens safe. 

Here are some alarming statistics:

• Guns are the leading cause of death in youth between 1 and 24 years of age in the U.S, and approximately 4.6 million children live in a home with an unlocked or loaded gun across the country, according to Be SMART, an organization launched in 2015 to promote responsible gun ownership.
• An average of 12 children are killed by a gun every day, per the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (2020).
• One in three homes with children under 18 years of age has a gun; in 45% of these homes, the gun is unlocked or loaded, per findings from the National Firearm Survey (2021).

“The reality is that children and teens have a deeply ingrained sense of curiosity, which can be exceptionally dangerous in homes having unlocked firearms,” says Thomas Huggett, MD, a pediatrician with Bronson LakeView Family Care. “This public health concern is one that we have the power to change. Safe storage of guns can prevent unintentional shootings, violence and gun tragedies from happening in our community”

Bronson Children’s Hospital and Bronson Childhood Injury Prevention have partnered with the Van Buren County and Kalamazoo County sheriff’s departments to distribute free gun safety locks. Parents and caregivers can pick these up at their Bronson pediatrician's office. Anyone who owns a gun is encouraged to visit their local sheriff's department for a free gun safety lock, no questions asked. A full list of agencies in Michigan that offer free gun safety kits is also available on the Project Childsafe website.

“Safe gun storage is one essential strategy to prevent injuries and deaths in southwest Michigan. Partnerships to provide gun locks at no cost demonstrate the community’s commitment to keeping families safe,” says Joel Murr, Director of Community Health Advancement at Bronson Healthcare.

For more information or additional resources and safety tips, visit Bronson Children’s Hospital webpage.