Whats the Most Dangerous Aspect of Guns, Hunting and Shooting?
It’s not hunting and shooting sports that most concern public health and firearms safety officials; it’s the deaths and injuries from firearms in the home. According to state health officials, a firearms-related death occurs in Minnesota roughly once per day, mostly from suicide and homicide. Guns accessible to kids are accidents waiting to happen, says Laurel Briske, a pediatric nurse practitioner and mother of three adult sons who hunt. Briske says that even when kids have been taught gun safety, parents are ultimately responsible for their child’s safety. “Supervision is critical,” she says, noting that it’s illegal to store loaded guns in the home where they are accessible to unsupervised children of any age. “Guns should be locked up in a cabinet with the ammunition locked in another location,” she says (see “Store Your Guns Safely”).
