The article by Anestis1 was very intriguing to me. The author discusses gun safety in the United States and bases much of the conversation on a study2 published in AJPH. This is a very contentious topic in today’s society, and I appreciate the author’s willingness to discuss even prevention measures for gun violence. However, I believe that the article lacked specific attention to gun safety with regard to children, because after all, suicide is the third leading cause of death in children aged 10 to 19 years.3
Anestis also discusses how nonlegislative means might be more beneficial and pragmatic in states that are more conservative. In these states with strong firearm ownership cultures, legislative means to promote firearm safety are generally shot down because of political views and residents’ values. When discussing nonlegislative means, the author refers to locking up firearms in gun stores and police barracks for gun owners. For firearm owners with suicidal thoughts, this has been shown to decrease suicide rates in those areas.3
Although storing guns for suicidal firearm owners may be effective, what if their children are the ones who are suicidal, or what if the child is not but picks up the firearm and accidentally takes his or her own life? Studies have proven that a direct relation exists between access to firearms and adolescent suicide.4 Firearms are actually the leading suicide method among American youths.3
When discussing firearm safety, we should shift the conversation toward ensuring that our youths do not have access to weapons in the home. Properly educating parents and children alike on this issue is critical. Because gun ownership likely will not decline, we need to ensure that these firearms are being properly stored.
We also need to limit the exposure to suicide in general. As an article from the National Association of School Psychologists5 discusses, television shows such as “13 Reasons Why” may glamorize suicide and may not adequately expose children to the full effect of suicide. Also, educators and parents alike need to work together to ensure that our youths have access to adequate mental health services.5 The effort to increase suicide prevention is paramount, and the burden is shared by everyone.
