Unintentional shootings in the United States are no “accident,” and they are preventable were it not for the gun lobby exerting its control over Congress, according to the Washington Post’s editorial board.
There have been an estimated 77 incidents this year involving people under the age of 18 unintentionally shooting themselves or someone else, according to the anti-gun group Everytown for Gun Safety.
Of these 77 indents, 36 have been fatal.
The unintentional shootings aren’t accidents, though, according to the Post’s editorial board.
“The deaths in all likelihood will be catalogued as accidents. But these horrible incidents are not, as the dictionary defines ‘accident,’ unexpected happenings. They are events that are not only predictable but also entirely preventable,” the board wrote.
They continued, explaining that, “thanks to the national gun lobby, many states … haven’t adopted stronger laws to prevent children from accessing unsecured guns. Thanks to the gun lobby, technology that could make guns safer and more secure, such as biometric gun safes or grips, is not being developed. Even basic research that would improve public-health surveillance of unintentional child gun deaths and could be used to develop more effective educational campaigns for gun safety isn’t being conducted, because Congress is cowed by the gun lobby.”
Worse than all of this, the board argued, are efforts by lawmakers to block doctors from asking parents whether they are gun owners, and where they store their firearms.
“Perhaps the most pernicious example of the disregard for children’s safety are efforts to promote laws that would gag pediatricians and other doctors from asking questions about gun ownership,” the Post wrote.
“Such laws allow a doctor to ask parents if they use childproof medicine containers and whether they lock up cleaning supplies but not if they keep guns secure. Children grab guns because they don’t know any better. The adults who prevent actions that might keep guns out of the hands of children don’t have that excuse,” they added.
Spokespersons for the National Rifle Association did not respond to the Washington Examiner’s requests for comment.
