A new campaign by the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, Ad Council, and Droga5 is telling harsh truths about an all too common occurrence in American households: parent has gun in home, child finds gun, child shoots self or playmate with gun.
In a haunting ad, a little boy questions his father about the gun in the house and demonstrates how easy it is for children to find unsecured firearms in the home — which too often leads to horrific results.
If this sounds like an easily preventable tragedy, that's because it is. But, every day, eight children are killed or injured by a firearm that has been improperly stored, also known as family fire. On Friday, an 8-year-old Delaware boy was killed after he found a gun in his home and accidentally shot himself in the chest.
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In the U.S., 4.6 million children live in homes where unlocked guns are easily accessible to them and in 75% of school shootings, the shooter used a gun found in the home.
"We can all agree, eight children being unintentionally shot and injured or killed every day is simply unconscionable," Kris Brown, co-president of the Brady Center said in a statement. "Just like the term 'designated driver' changed perceptions about drinking and driving, the term ‘Family Fire’ will help create public awareness to change attitudes and actions around this important matter. This is a nonpolitical issue where gun owners and non-gun owners alike can come together and play a role in reducing the number of innocent lives lost to gun violence."
For more information on the campaign and how to prevent family fire, visit EndFamilyFire.org.