OPINION - Editorial

Others say: Put guns in lock-down

What if? There is a tendency to ask that question after something tragic happens. What if he had turned right and not left? What if she had not changed her plane reservation to get back early? It is a question for which, in many cases, there is no answer, and asking serves only as a type of torture.

In cases involving shootings by children, the question is often all too relevant. What if the toddler who unintentionally shot himself or a sibling hadn't seen a gun lying around?

The fact that many shootings by children could have been prevented if adults had kept the firearms locked away was detailed in a powerful report by The Post's John Woodrow Cox and Steven Rich. Their analysis of 145 school shootings committed by children since 1999 found that among the 105 cases in which the weapon's source was identified, 80 percent were taken from the child's home or that of relatives or friends.

Few states (the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence counts 11) have laws concerning firearm locking devices. Only Massachusetts generally requires that firearms be stored with a lock. When it comes to holding adults criminally liable for negligently storing guns, only 14 states and the District of Columbia have taken action.

Editorial on 08/26/2018

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