A recent CDC research study found that deaths by firearms rose by 35% from 2019 to 2020. They found that guns were involved in 79% of all homicides and 53% of all suicides in 2020. This alarming jump is the highest firearm homicide rate in more than 25 years. In addition to the climb in deaths, CDC research shows there is a wider ethnic and racial group than in the past.
Now the CDC is hoping that education and support might lower these numbers in subsequent years. “The tragic and historic increase in firearm homicide and the persistently high rates of firearm suicide underscore the urgent need for action to reduce firearm-related injuries and deaths,” said CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, M.D., M.P.H. “By addressing factors contributing to homicide and suicide and providing support to communities, we can help stop violence now and in the future.”
As we know, not all gun related deaths are intentional. We spoke with veteran law enforcement agent, Ed Blair about problems with gun safety in our youth today. Blair is currently a Criminal Investigations Special Agent with the NC Department of Insurance, but he previously worked as a Colonel at the Randolph County Sheriff’s Department for 14 years. There, he investigated many crimes including homicides. He says families that keep weapons in their home have to educate kids about gun safety at a young age. “They need to know it is not a game, it is real and these things do exert deadly force,” he said. “You must keep the gun out of sight and out of reach for small kids and use a gun lock,” he explained. “Keep the magazine in a different place, unloaded if you can.”
The education component also includes talking to your kids about what to do if their friend is playing with a gun, or if they are in a dangerous situation. His tip for kids? “Get away from them, tell them to put it down. Scream, yell, and get an adult as quickly as possible,” he said. But how much should parents worry about guns? Is it acceptable to ask about guns before your child sleeps over at a friend’s house? Blair says yes! “If your child is going to go over to a house for a sleepover, don’t be afraid to ask if you have a weapon in your home for self-defense, and ask if it It’s secure. If they have to say no, then you have to make a decision.”
Blair fears that video games may be contributing to the rising gun problem. “We have raised a generation who plays video games and many of the games involve violence and weapons, but if you shoot a gun on a video game and that target happens to be a living and breathing being, then at the end of the game it pops back up and it’s fine, and there are no holes. In an immature mind they begin to blur reality,” he fears.
While research on video games and violence is still in the early stages, child psychologist Dr. Kimberley Bennett says it may not be to blame. The research suggests that video game violence does increase aggressive behavior, but, according to the meta-analyses, the average effects are relatively small,” she shared. “One thing worth considering, however, is that most of the research on this topic has been done within lab-settings, meaning we have limited data on the long-term impact of gaming, or (arguably more importantly), the long-term impact of gaming on someone who is perhaps already vulnerable or at risk of violence, Bennett explained.”
Bottom line, if you are going to allow your children to play with video games that contain weapons, or if you keep a firearm in your home, communication and proper parenting are key. “There is no room for error,” Blair said. “ You have to be conscious about your responsibility and act accordingly.”
