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The holiday season can bring plenty of joy among family, but one advocacy group is warning about the danger of “family fire,” and it’s much more serious than just a heated argument with a relative.
Brady United, a group promoting gun safety, said the term refers to shootings that result from someone misusing an unsecured gun inside a home. Unintentional shootings, firearm suicide and other intentional shootings are all forms of family fire, and they increase during the holiday season as families gather more frequently and for longer periods of time.
Another common thread: family fire can often be prevented by responsible firearm storage.
About 4.6 million children live in homes that have unlocked, loaded firearms, according to Christian Heyne, chief officer of policy and programs at Brady United. He said that’s a big reason why firearms are the leading cause of death among children in the U.S.
“Every year we see these increases in unintentional shootings, which is just horrific; it’s tragic and, frankly, completely preventable,” Heyne said.
Heyne said gun owners must store their weapons safely to help prevent tragedies. Proper storage includes placing unloaded firearms in locked safes and keeping ammunition in a separate location.
“If only 20% of gun-owning households practiced safe storage consistently, we would prevent one-third of youth gun suicides and unintentional shooting deaths,” Heyne said.
More advice regarding gun safety is available online.