Our friends at CVS

[bubbiesdad]

CVS Health Resources

Kids and Guns

By Chris Woolston

CONSUMER HEALTH INTERACTIVE

Below:

• What should I tell my child about guns?

• When is a child old enough to use a gun responsibly?

Guns are completely safe -- as long as they're unloaded, locked away, and never touched. But as soon as a bullet enters the chamber and a hand nears the trigger, guns become a serious hazard to children. In the United States 2,852 children and teenagers died of gunshot wounds in 2004, and more than four times that many suffered acute injuries -- many of them in the home.

Of course, the surest way to protect your child from guns is to keep them out of his life. The American Academy of Pediatrics strongly urges parents not to store guns at home. If you think you need a gun for protection, consider this: According to the AAP, a gun in the house is 43 times more likely to kill a friend or family member than an intruder. What's more, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, guns used in school-related homicides and student suicides most often come from the child's own home or from a friend or relative.

If you still want to have a gun, invest in a trigger lock. Also, keep your gun unloaded and locked away in a gun cabinet, a safe, or another secure place. (Find a different place to lock up the ammunition.) Don't simply hide the gun in a sock drawer or a dark corner of your closet. Kids have an amazing ability to sniff out hiding spots.

What should I tell my child about guns?

With an estimated 242 million firearms in the United States, gun safety can't stop at home. Your child needs to understand the dangers of guns and how to protect himself if he comes across one. As soon as possible, teach your child these important lessons:

•The bullets and the blood on TV shows may be fake, but guns can hurt and kill children in real life.

•Never touch a gun for any reason.

•A gun means it's time to go. If your child sees a gun at a neighbor's house or elsewhere, he should leave immediately and tell you or another adult about it. (It's not enough to tell your child never to touch a gun. If his friend is handling a gun, your child is in grave danger.)

When is a child old enough to use a gun responsibly?

Never, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. This is what the distinguished organization has to say about children and guns: Never allow your child access to your gun(s). No matter how much instruction you may give him or her, a youngster in the middle years is not mature and responsible enough to handle a potentially lethal weapon. Certainly the recent wave of school massacres give ample evidence of that.

If you still want your child to know how to hunt or shoot, wait until the teenage years to begin instruction. Your child may be intelligent and emotionally mature, and he may know the book on gun safety, but you simply can't trust him with a hunting rifle until he's at least 13 years old -- and not even then unless you are absolutely certain he is mature enough to be responsible. (Don't give your child a BB gun as a toy -- writer Alice Walker is among the many Americans who have lost an eye to a sibling's BB gun.) If you decide to let him use a gun, make it a rule that he must be accompanied by an adult.

-- Chris Woolston, M.S., is a health and medical writer with a master's degree in biology. He is a contributing editor at Consumer Health Interactive, and was the staff writer at Hippocrates, a magazine for physicians. He has covered science issues for Time Inc. Health and WebMD, and is the co-author of Generation Extra Large: Rescuing Our Children from the Epidemic of Obesity (Perseus Books, 2005).. His reporting on occupational health earned him an award from the northern California Society of Professional Journalists.

[Guest c.a.s.]

The page was removed recently (it's been discussed on thehighroad.us, the REAL THR, before), but the rage should still be there. No apology has been offered and no correction of mislead information.

[Guest bkelm18]

CV

When is a child old enough to use a gun responsibly?

Never, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. This is what the distinguished organization has to say about children and guns: Never allow your child access to your gun(s). No matter how much instruction you may give him or her, a youngster in the middle years is not mature and responsible enough to handle a potentially lethal weapon. Certainly the recent wave of school massacres give ample evidence of that.

If you still want your child to know how to hunt or shoot, wait until the teenage years to begin instruction. Your child may be intelligent and emotionally mature, and he may know the book on gun safety, but you simply can't trust him with a hunting rifle until he's at least 13 years old -- and not even then unless you are absolutely certain he is mature enough to be responsible. (Don't give your child a BB gun as a toy -- writer Alice Walker is among the many Americans who have lost an eye to a sibling's BB gun.) If you decide to let him use a gun, make it a rule that he must be accompanied by an adult.

-- Chris Woolston, M.S., is a health and medical writer with a master's degree in biology. He is a contributing editor at Consumer Health Interactive, and was the staff writer at Hippocrates, a magazine for physicians. He has covered science issues for Time Inc. Health and WebMD, and is the co-author of Generation Extra Large: Rescuing Our Children from the Epidemic of Obesity (Perseus Books, 2005).. His reporting on occupational health earned him an award from the northern California Society of Professional Journalists.

Gee golly, I sure am glad we have all these smart folks tellin us how mature our own children are. I surely don't know how I could ever raise I child in this world without the wholesome advice of some complete stranger.

[Guest cjr]

Wow,

I guess Im not a very good dad.

Im glad this guy has set me straight.

[Guest SUNTZU]

When is a child old enough to use a Big Mac responsibly?

Never, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. This is what the distinguished organization has to say about children and fast food: Never allow your child access to fast food. No matter how much instruction you may give him or her, a youngster in the middle years is not mature and responsible enough to handle a potentially lethal sandwich. Certainly the recent wave of happy meal massacres give ample evidence of that.

-- Chris Woolston, M.S., is a health and medical writer with a master's degree in biology. He is a contributing editor at Consumer Health Interactive, and was the staff writer at Hippocrates, a magazine for physicians. He has covered science issues for Time Inc. Health and WebMD, and is the co-author of Generation Extra Large: Rescuing Our Children from the Epidemic of Obesity (Perseus Books, 2005).. His reporting on occupational health earned him an award from the northern California Society of Professional Journalists.

Get back in your cubicle Chris!

[Guest Liberty Seeker]

And please disregard the number of people needlessly killed by doctors in hospitals annually.

[Fadex]

And please disregard the number of people needlessly killed by doctors in hospitals annually.

Yeah...because ya know Doctors are experts on EVERYTHING, just like Celebrities.

[Guest canynracer]

Or drunk drivers...specially the ones under 21

[Guest TennFarmer]

How come I don't every see a bunch of one eyed peoples running around. Those dangerous evil bb guns. How did we survive childhood?

[Bigiron]

Guns don't kill people.

People kill people.

Let's ban people.

[Punisher84]

I had my first beer at 14 and didn't care much for it, then my Mom explained the dangers of drunk driving. 2 years later I would lose 2 acquaintances to a drunk driver. I shot my first gun at 7 and cared ALOT for it, but never touched it without my Grandfather around. I rarely went to the doctor.

That's probably why I'm a well rounded good ole southern kid.

[Guest jackdog]

oh my I was a baaaaaaaaaaaaad parent.

[KahrMan]

I guess I better not show my doctor this:

or this:

or this:

[NuTcAsE]

CVS Health Resources

Kids and Guns

By Chris Woolston

CONSUMER HEALTH INTERACTIVE

Below:

• What should I tell my child about guns?

• When is a child old enough to use a gun responsibly?

Guns are completely safe -- as long as they're unloaded, locked away, and never touched. But as soon as a bullet enters the chamber and a hand nears the trigger, guns become a serious hazard to children. In the United States 2,852 children and teenagers died of gunshot wounds in 2004, and more than four times that many suffered acute injuries -- many of them in the home.

Of course, the surest way to protect your child from guns is to keep them out of his life. The American Academy of Pediatrics strongly urges parents not to store guns at home. If you think you need a gun for protection, consider this: According to the AAP, a gun in the house is 43 times more likely to kill a friend or family member than an intruder. What's more, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, guns used in school-related homicides and student suicides most often come from the child's own home or from a friend or relative.

If you still want to have a gun, invest in a trigger lock. Also, keep your gun unloaded and locked away in a gun cabinet, a safe, or another secure place. (Find a different place to lock up the ammunition.) Don't simply hide the gun in a sock drawer or a dark corner of your closet. Kids have an amazing ability to sniff out hiding spots.

What should I tell my child about guns?

With an estimated 242 million firearms in the United States, gun safety can't stop at home. Your child needs to understand the dangers of guns and how to protect himself if he comes across one. As soon as possible, teach your child these important lessons:

•The bullets and the blood on TV shows may be fake, but guns can hurt and kill children in real life.

•Never touch a gun for any reason.

•A gun means it's time to go. If your child sees a gun at a neighbor's house or elsewhere, he should leave immediately and tell you or another adult about it. (It's not enough to tell your child never to touch a gun. If his friend is handling a gun, your child is in grave danger.)

When is a child old enough to use a gun responsibly?

Never, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. This is what the distinguished organization has to say about children and guns: Never allow your child access to your gun(s). No matter how much instruction you may give him or her, a youngster in the middle years is not mature and responsible enough to handle a potentially lethal weapon. Certainly the recent wave of school massacres give ample evidence of that.

If you still want your child to know how to hunt or shoot, wait until the teenage years to begin instruction. Your child may be intelligent and emotionally mature, and he may know the book on gun safety, but you simply can't trust him with a hunting rifle until he's at least 13 years old -- and not even then unless you are absolutely certain he is mature enough to be responsible. (Don't give your child a BB gun as a toy -- writer Alice Walker is among the many Americans who have lost an eye to a sibling's BB gun.) If you decide to let him use a gun, make it a rule that he must be accompanied by an adult.

-- Chris Woolston, M.S., is a health and medical writer with a master's degree in biology. He is a contributing editor at Consumer Health Interactive, and was the staff writer at Hippocrates, a magazine for physicians. He has covered science issues for Time Inc. Health and WebMD, and is the co-author of Generation Extra Large: Rescuing Our Children from the Epidemic of Obesity (Perseus Books, 2005).. His reporting on occupational health earned him an award from the northern California Society of Professional Journalists.

Seems to me that Mr. Woolston is educated well beyond his intelligence...

[Rightwinger]

Like the Kahrman, I have been a horrible father.

How could I treat my boys so badly! The little troopers just smiled and sucked up the horror as best they could.

(and yes, once they got done shooting their cousins little .22 cricket, and moved up to the bigger evil guns, they put on their hearing protection.)

And the worse is the last one....look how brave he is to smile as I force him into a tree stand and insist he shoot at poor poor deer.

I should be forced to watch Ellen Degeneres over and over as well as the Rosie show (if it were actually on anymore)

[Guest sharpshooter01]

And to think I taught my 19 month old daughter to say pistol just yesterday. Next up is rifle

[Guest RISC777]

I was a bad parent also, apparently, but thankfully since then I've sold ALL of them.

[KahrMan]

I was a bad parent also, apparently, but thankfully since then I've sold ALL of them.

Your kids or guns?

[Rightwinger]

Bwaaaahhhhhh

"How much for the little girl?...your children, sell them to me"

[Fadex]

Bwaaaahhhhhh

"How much for the little girl?...your children, sell them to me"

It's never a great thread until someone quotes Jake Blues!!

[skipsfirearms]

I guess I should introduce Chris Woolston to my Step-Daughter. She'll put 10 rounds of 22LR in his butt from 100 yards. Oh, but that would just prove his point, Huh....

[Guest ProguninTN]

More "experts" telling people how to raise their children. :rolleyes: