[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 73 (Friday, May 4, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S5615]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          YOUTHS AND FIREARMS

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, often discussions about combating gun 
violence center around preventing criminal access to dangerous 
firearms. Another important component of the issue is the ability of 
our children and teenagers to access firearms. Most fatal firearm 
incidences occur when children and teens discover loaded and unsecured 
firearms in their homes. Over the years, accidental shootings and 
suicides have claimed the lives of thousands of young people. Sadly, 
many of these tragedies could have been prevented through common sense 
gun legislation.
  On April 14, two 14-year-old boys were playing in one of their homes 
in Iosco Township, MI, when they found an unlocked .45-caliber handgun. 
After playing with it for a short time, the gun went off. The two boys 
were home alone, so no adult was aware of what happened until one of 
the boys called 911 and uttered the words, ``I shot him.'' The other 
boy was pronounced dead after being airlifted to the University of 
Michigan Medical Center.
  The very next day not far away in Battle Creek, MI, a 19-year-old 
accidentally shot and killed his 17-year-old best friend and cousin. 
The two were sitting on a couch in the living room, playing with an 
unregistered gun. They had removed the gun's clip but were not aware of 
the single bullet remaining in the chamber.
  These are two examples of the misery gun violence can inflict. The 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have released some 
staggering statistics on gun-related deaths among young people:
  In 2002 a child or teen was killed in a firearm-related accident or 
suicide every 9 hours.
  On average, four children died every day in non-homicide firearm 
incidents between 1999-2002.
  From 1997-2002, more than 1,324 children were killed in firearm 
accidents.
  In 2004, 13,846 kids were injured by a firearm.
  Over the last 10 years, an average of 1,213 kids committed suicide 
with a firearm each year; on average more than 135 each year were under 
the age of 15.
  The overall firearm-related death rate among U.S. children under the 
age of 15 was nearly 12 times higher than among children in 25 other 
industrialized countries combined.
  As adults, parents and grandparents, we have a responsibility to 
protect our children from gun-related deaths. Trigger locks and other 
sensible gun safety measures can have a significant impact. I urge my 
colleagues to wait no longer to act on such measures.

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