By Kaitlin Lacefield, Intern at Kentucky Youth Advocates

Since 2020, the number of child deaths by a gun has surpassed car accidents and motor vehicle-related deaths. Firearms are the leading cause of death for children under 18 in Kentucky and nationally. Now, there is a challenge to prevent accidental shootings involving children by building knowledge and increasing awareness.

The number of gun deaths among Americans has been on the rise since 2019. Unfortunately, children are not spared.

In fact, the CDC reports that the number of children and adolescents killed by gunfire increased 50% between 2019 and 2021. The largest category of firearm related deaths for children and teens was homicide as opposed to suicide. In Kentucky, 91 percent of homicide deaths for 2020 were to children between ages 1 and 17. Approximately 66 percent of those cases involved firearms. These numbers do not include nonfatal injuries related to firearms or instances where firearms contributed but were not the cause of death. 

Accidental shootings and unintentional deaths of minors by firearms are also cause for concern. Just last month, a 5-year-old in Eastern Kentucky was fatally shot by a 7-year-old child. Kentucky State Police did not suspect foul play, making this one incident of many accidental shootings between children in the U.S. There have been at least 221 unintentional shootings by children so far in the U.S in 2023. 

Kentucky averaged 19 emergency department (ED) visits for unintentional firearm injuries occurred per year among Kentucky youth 10 and under from 2016–2021. With approximately 4.6 million children living in homes with at least one unlocked firearm, around 350 children access these firearms and unintentionally shoot themselves or someone else. Of Kentuckians with at least one child, 56 percent have a gun at home, 15 percent of whom have loaded guns unlocked at home.

Kentucky can take steps to protect the youngest among us from these tragedies by requiring safe storage of firearms or requiring locking devices to accompany the sale of firearms. While there are laws prohibiting a person from “intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly” providing a handgun to a minor, there are none penalizing adults who fail to safely store and secure firearms – which are known as Child Access Protection (CAP) laws. This is true even if accessible firearms are obtained by minors and lead to injury or death. 

Despite ongoing conversations and debates around gun laws, gun owners and non-gun owners agree that they want their kids safe. A fall 2022 research study found that nearly half of U.S. parents worry about their child getting shot at some point. What can be done about these preventable tragedies?

Educational programs and common sense solutions can save lives. Here are a few national, statewide, and local campaigns focused on preventing child deaths due to a firearm:

  • Asking Saves Kids (ASK) – A movement encouraging adults to ask about firearms in community households to keep kids safe. The same way parents and guardians ask about pets, allergies, and supervision when allowing their children to visit other homes, this simple question can open an important conversation: “is there an unlocked or loaded gun in your home?”
  • Be SMART – A campaign launched in 2015 to reduce and prevent child gun deaths. What does it mean to be SMART? Secure all firearms in your home and vehicles. Model responsible behavior around firearms. Ask about the presence of unsecured or loaded firearms. Recognize the role of firearms in suicide. Tell others to be SMART.
  • Whitney Strong – A campaign focused on responsible gun ownership and ending gun violence. This organization takes a non-partisan approach to legislation, acts on data to implement educational opportunities, and funds research to reverse the pervasiveness of gun violence. 
  • Future Healers – Future Healers is an outreach program through University of Louisville that builds strong relationships between medical professionals and youth most impacted by gun violence in Louisville. Through mentorship, advocacy, and introducing youth to the medical profession, the Future Healers program works to empower the city’s youth to aspire to brighter futures for themselves and their communities.
  • Peace Education Program – Hosts a program called Pivot to Peace for survivors of stabbings and gunshot injuries. This program allows for opportunities to support individuals who have been impacted by gun violence and to develop plans to stay safe and address the factors that may have put individuals at risk for violence.

Photo by Jordan Whitt on Unsplash