MILWAUKEE — Following the death of 4-year-old Jamero Edwards, we are learning more about how common firearm injuries are involving children and what adults can do to try and deter this type of tragedy from happening ever again.
Research shows more than 100 children are accidentally shot and killed each year in the U.S. In most cases, the child victim either shoots themselves or is shot by another child.
"It's really easy for everyone in society to say 'well this wouldn't happen in my home.' I've seen families from all walks of life suffer the same tragedy," said Dr. Michael Levas, the Medical Director of Project Ujima at Children's Wisconsin.
Project Ujima is a hospital-based violence prevention program aimed at breaking cycles of violence and addressing trauma. Levas said when it comes to firearms, we must remember "kids are curious."
"When you put a 3 or a 4-year-old in a room with a loaded gun, all bets are off," said Levas.
He said medial professionals are disappointed to hear about the shooting involving Edwards.
"This four-year-old could've been a firefighter, a doctor, the next president. We don't know and we won't know because of this split-second injury," Levas said.
He said no matter the circumstances, this death was both tragic and preventable.
"I think that some of the misconceptions are that even if you talk to your kids about firearm safety, there's still curiosity," he said.
Levas says Children's Wisconsin has already seen nearly 30 firearm injuries involving youth under the age of 18 so far this year. He told TMJ4's Ryan Jenkins that, on average, a juvenile shooting victim is seen every 3 days by staff at the hospital.
"The first thing we want to do is not be afraid to talk to our kids about firearms," he said.
Levas said it's up to adults to put an end to this violence, including accidental shootings.
"Kids are curious," said Levas. "That's how they explore the world. They're going to try things, they're going to try and handle things and grab them and firearms are no different so we need to talk to our youth about - if you see a gun stay away from it, assume it's loaded. Stay away from it."
He said adults need to be having these conversations with each other.
"My practice in my family is when my kids go to other kid's houses, I ask the family if there's a firearm there and beyond that, I ask if it's secured and stored," Levas said.
This most recent death is a tragic reminder to put safety first in each and every situation.
I think many parents want to know where their kids are, what activities are involved," said Levas. "Who they're jumping into a car with, are there car seats available? Are they safe? And, I don't think firearms are different."
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