THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, February 28, 1996 TAG: 9602280013
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 48 lines
It is always sad, but nowadays not shocking, to read about another tragedy in which a child is killed by gunfire. It is even more heart wrenching when the facts indicate that the tragedy is an accidental shooting by a friend, as in the case of the recent Virginia Beach shooting of a 14-year-old by his 13-year-old neighbor at the younger boy's home. This incident and others like it beg for solutions to the increasing gun violence.
Legislators, elected to be responsible for setting policy governing public safety, must address the lack of such policy governing accountability of gun owners. Instead, Virginians hear about being tough on crime and increasing prison time for criminals and violent juveniles. Virginians deserve to know how children gain access to firearms both intentionally and unintentionally. Every gun in the hand of a child theoretically belongs to a ``responsible'' adult.
In this current session of the Virginia General Assembly, legislators refused to consider a bill to include a trigger locking device with the sale of new handguns. They even failed to consider a bill to raise the age at which children could possess firearms without parental supervision from 12 to 14. Either of these bills could have prevented the recent Virginia Beach tragedy.
In 1991, firearms were the fifth leading cause of accidental death for children 14 and under. In 1992, 501 children and teenagers lost their lives in highly preventable, unintentional shootings. Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 1.2 million elementary-age, latch-key children have access to guns in their homes. One national survey found that more than one-third of gun owners keep their guns loaded at home, and more than half keep them unlocked. All of these loaded and unlocked guns are like ticking time-bombs when curious children live in or visit the home.
Although the vast majority of gun owners are responsible, we will continue to be saddened by life-shattering headlines like ``Boy charged in fatal shooting of Beach teenager'' until legislators promote a public policy that protects all Virginians, both gun-owners and non-owners.
ALICE MOUNTJOY, president
Virginians Against Handgun
Violence Inc.
Norfolk, Feb. 20, 1996 by CNB