“The right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed,” (Congress.gov) The second amendment has always been an important part of the United States of America. When the Bill of Rights was written, it originally intended to ensure the safety of Americans in troubling times. But now, increasingly more dangerous weapons are everywhere you look. These weapons are causing many deaths in children and teens, and the number of casualties is increasing every year. Now, new solutions must be found and people need to be informed about firearm safety so that thousands of lives can be saved.

In the U.S., there are more guns than people. With 393,300,00 guns, according to the Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence. These weapons are everywhere and could be used for the wrong reason. The OCAGV also estimates that 1 in 100 Ohio children will die by gun violence. This statistic is not claiming that they will die in their childhood, but that 1% of the children currently living in Ohio, will die by gun violence. Firearms are also the number one cause of death for American children and teens, according to Everytown, which is a gun safety research group. This combines statistics from both firearm homicides and suicides. These statistics show that more precautions need to be taken by gun owners everywhere to make sure guns aren’t put into the wrong hands.

A majority of gun violence against kids and teens is committed in the home. This should be a sign that guns need to be properly stored so they are not easily accessible. Getting a gun safe and storing ammo separately can save your life or a loved one. While some may claim that guns need to be quickly accessible in case of something like a home invasion, The Trace, a news organization dedicated to investigating gun violence in America, reports that there are 7 times more acts of aggression using guns than there are actually using guns for defense. Having guns in a difficult location to access would prevent children from getting a hold of them and shooting themselves or others either on purpose or by accident.

There is no easy solution to gun violence. Too many guns have already been sold in America to control their flow, and even if they could be controlled, there are always events that can’t be foreseen. People will continue to die from guns, and there’s little to nothing we can do to stop that. But we can drastically decrease how many kids die from gun violence. Kids should not have to fear being shot by anyone, nor should they have access to any guns that they could use. Adults across America need to protect their children by educating themselves and their kids on gun safety. If youths are displaying homicidal or suicidal behaviors, the parents and guardians of that child need to be informed and be extremely careful in ensuring that the child doesn’t have any way of accessing a gun. In general, parents and guardians need to put the lives of their children first and make sure that they are not near any firearms. 

So while we can’t stop gun violence, we can make sure that fewer children are affected by it. But we can only do that if gun owners everywhere put in an effort to control this issue. If you are near guns that could be accessed by a minor, try to secure them in a safe location. If more work is put in, then we can drastically reduce youth firearm casualties, and build a safer world.