You're listening to lifekit.
From NPR.
A quick heads up.
This episode mentions suicide.
If you or someone you know is struggling, you can call 988 any time of Day for support.
Hey, everybody, it's Marielle.
Today's episode is about kids and safety.
That's what it comes down to, really.
Whether you own a gun or not, you'll want to keep them out of the hands of children.
And the thing is, in the US, firearms are the number one cause of death for kids and teens.
About 60% of those deaths are homicides, and 35% are suicides.
Doctor Lois Lee is a pediatric emergency medicine physician at Boston Children's Hospital.
And she says, often kids who die by suicide are teenagers who have a passing impulse.
So they may not have a mental health disorder.
You may not know of any symptoms beforehand.
It's something that happens to them.
And we know that for many people who die from suicide, from the time they think of it to when they complete the act is within an hour.
We also know that among all the means of suicide, if you try to kill yourself with a firearm, more than 90% you will die.
Other methods are far less likely to be fatal.
So storing your guns safely really can save lives.