Gun Locks

“Between 1979 and 1997, 651,697 Americans lost their lives to gun violence, including 334,870 suicides, 278,865 homicides, 28, 964 unintentional shooting, and 8,998 from unknown causes. National Center for Health Statistics

11 year old Andrew Golden and 12 year old Mitchell Johnson on March 24, 1998 shot and killed 4 students, one teacher, and wounded 10 at a Jonesboro, Arkansas school.  The guns these 11 and 12 year old children used were taken from the home of Andrew’s grandfather. Guns not equipped with a gun lock Guns not kept in a locked gun case.

On December 14, 2012 Adam Lanza riddled the bodies of 26 people, 20 of which were 6-7 year old students at the school in Newtown, Connecticut.  Adam, an unstable person,  took the guns he used  from his home.  Guns not kept in a secure gun case. Guns not equipped with a gun lock. Guns owned by a family member, his mother.

4 year old Joshua Johnson on February 11, 2013 accidentally shot and killed himself.  This 4 year old child shot himself with a loaded gun owned by his mother.  A gun his mother kept in a shoe box in her bedroom.   A gun not equipped with a gun lock which police, in Memphis where he lived, furnished free of charge to gun owners.  4 year old Joshua would be alive today had his mother (1) removed the bullets from her pistol (2) placed a free gun lock on her pistol (3) kept her pistol in a secure gun case.

How many of the 651,697 Americans killed with guns from 1979 to 1997 were killed by guns kept in homes?  Guns not equipped with a gun lock or kept in a locked gun case?  Guns easily ACCESIBLE to 4-11-12 year old children or ACCESIBLE to an unstable family member?

How many of the 300 million guns in America today are kept in homes? How many of those 300 million guns are equipped with gun locks or kept in a secure gun case?  How many of those 300 million guns are ACCESIBLE –within easy reach—of 4-11-12 year children or unstable family members or friends?  

Cars are required to be equipped with safety devices such as seat belts and air bags.  A study of 9,859 head on collisions showed cars equipped with seat belts and air bags reduced the number of car deaths more than 80%

Most people welcome regulation of cars, explosives, drugs and any products which  endanger human life because they know such regulations protect people from harm and reduce the number of deaths caused by the use of such products.

Caring people should welcome gun regulations which would protect the public from gun killings as readily as they accept regulation of other products. Such gun regulations may well reduce gun killings 80% just as seat belts and air bags reduced the number of deaths in head-on collisions over 80%.

Requiring gun owners to keep their guns in a secure gun case and place gun locks on all of their guns WOULD most assuredly save lives and would not lessen owner’s Second Amendment right.

Requiring the gun industry to equip guns at the time of manufacture with gun locks or technology that disabled guns when in the hands of anyone other than the owner  WOULD save lives.

Will you do nothing and watch in horror and sadness as the number and frequency of mass gun killings of innocent six and seven year old school children continues to increase all across this country.  Or will you support the grieving families of the children killed in these tragedies who ask you to call or write your congressman and urge him/her to support gun regulation that will stop or reduce these tragic gun killings.   Choose like the life you save may be the life of your 4-6-7 year old.