Every day, on average, 10 children under the age of 20 are killed by handguns in this country (National Center for Health Statistics, October 1996). How can we keep guns out of the hands of kids? John Rosenthal, co-founder and chairman of Stop Handgun Violence, Inc., says the solution is simple: "It requires responsibility." Here are his three steps to keeping kids safe from unsupervised access to guns:
Parents shouldn't let their children play anywhere until they find out if there is a gun in that specific place, and how it is stored.
Gun owners should keep their guns under lock and key and use safety locks.
Gun manufacturers should be held to the same standards as any other product manufacturer in the U.S. "A gun is the only product in America that is not regulated by the National Consumer Product Safety Commission," says Rosenthal. Rosenthal believes guns should be regulated like cars are. "Driving a car requires training, a license, a registration, consumer protection, and design manufacturing standards," he explains. "Guns are made to kill, but we require no standards for them."
