It's no mystery that gun control is a matter of great debate within Arizona and the country in general. Currently, a person's right to own a firearm in Arizona is strongly protected compared to in other areas of the U.S. Challengers against a liberal right to bear arms are passionate in their cause and look for any reason to further challenge gun rights.

A study presented at a recent American Academy of Pediatrics meeting could work in gun control advocates' favor in trying to limit people's freedom regarding gun ownership. The study reports that more children are injured or killed by guns in the country every year than researchers previously thought.

According to CBS News, the following are the statistics related to child injuries caused by guns:

  • More than 20,000 people ages 19 and younger are injured by guns per year
  • More than 8,000 of those gun-related injuries are fatal
  • More than one-third of the gun injuries are accidental

It's easy to see how gun control advocates would see these injury statistics as reason to strengthen gun laws. But there are accident prevention methods that gun owners can and should utilize in order to keep their rights to bear arms at less risk of being threatened:

  • Keep your gun unloaded and store ammunition in a different location than where you keep your gun
  • Lock away both your firearm and your ammunition
  • Talk to your kids about the danger of guns and how real guns are not the same as toys
  • Know whether a house where your child might visit has guns in it and if they are safely stored away

Overall, the right to bear arms is something that Americans have valued and will continue to value. There is no doubt that guns are dangerous, but overly regulating who can and can't own certain types of firearms can actually create an environment wherein those who want guns will avoid the legal hoops they are required to go through and, therefore, get them illegally. Then, it can be difficult to track guns that might have been used in a certain crime.

Protecting Americans is a balancing act of weighing the protection of our freedoms versus the protection of our physical safety.

Source

CBS News: "Firearm injuries to kids underestimated, study shows," David W. Freeman, Oct. 17, 2011