Normally, I don’t get political on my blog, for Nurse Mommy Laughs is a place to escape from the media; and as parents, to find the joy in parenting, our lives and our daily experiences. But I am a mom and a nurse and I feel I would be remiss in not passing on this statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics regarding the recent Senate’s decision to not pass gun safety bill which would protect our children from gun violence that is plaguing our communities. The hard facts are out there. Every time you take your child to the pediatrician, they ask you whether or not you have a gun in your home and if you have talked to them about safety. This isn’t just for fun. It’s because it is a HUGE problem in our country and the the medical professionals are trying to do something to protect and prevent disasters. That’s all I’m going to say, except if you have a gun in your home, please know that most accidents occur by the OTHER children visiting your home. Your children’s friends. Not your kids who you feel you have taught to respect a gun.
PLEASE READ THIS FROM THE PEDIATRICIANS!!! They deserve to be heard too.
Urgent Message to Parents from the American Academy of Pediatrics
AAP Statement on Senate’s Failure to Pass Gun Violence Prevention Legislation
4/17/2013
(Source by: James Perrin, MD, FAAP, president-elect, American Academy of Pediatrics)
“Today, members of the United States Senate failed to pass a package of common sense gun safety bills that would have helped protect children from gun violence. It is especially discouraging that in the wake of the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., our elected officials could not come together to pass basic bipartisan proposals to make our country safer.
“Gun violence is one of the single greatest public health threats to children in this country. Firearm injuries are one of the top three causes of death among youth, killing twice as many children as cancer, five times as many as heart disease, and 15 times as many as infections. Among children younger than 15, the United States has a firearm-related death rate 12 times higher than 25 other industrialized nations combined.
“We have lost far too many young lives lost to gun violence. Today, the Senate missed a critical opportunity to lay a foundation for strong federal policies to keep children safe, but pediatricians remain undeterred. We will continue to advocate for strong federal policies that protect children from gun violence, and we will do so without pause or apology, until we see real progress. Pediatricians urge our elected leaders in Congress to find the courage to start again, to allow science to prevail over politics, and to do right by our children.”
# # #
The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 60,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. (www.aap.org)
