After talking about diaper changes, baby food, colic, weight, motor skills and childhood vaccines – the conversation at the one-year check-up took an unexpected turn for the British woman who had moved to the United States. The pediatrician asked if Arwa Mahdawi and the man had weapons at home. It tipped the British woman off the stick. – Why ask about it at a one-year inspection? she thought a little annoyed. – Because this is the USA, she writes in a post in The Guardian. Two-year-old can pull off a weapon For most Americans, the question of the pediatrician is completely natural. The aim of the question is to remind new parents that young children are very curious and may fiddle with the gun, revolver or rifle in the belief that it is a toy. Even children between the ages of 2-3 are strong enough to pull off a weapon, says assistant professor Lois Lee at Harvard Medical School to CNN. Health stations provide advice to families with children about weapons in the home. The picture shows weapons training of children under the auspices of the weapons lobby NRA. The photo was taken in Texas on May 5, 2013. Photo: ADREES LATIF / Reuters Pediatricians and health stations want to inform parents that it is therefore advisable to keep the weapon locked in a cupboard or drawer. Accidental shooting happens to children of all ages, writes HealthyChildren.org. The website points out that there is a four times greater risk of a child being shot in a home where a weapon is stored, than for children staying in a home without a weapon. Advice: Ask about weapons in the home This is not the only area that separates the USA and, for example, Norway. School holidays are now approaching in the USA as well, and health professionals warn parents who have plans to send their children for accommodation to a classmate during the holidays. They ask parents to think about more than sending with a toothbrush and inform about the child’s allergy. Health workers ask parents to ask a specific question. – Do you have weapons at home? It writes Wsaz. Newschannel3. This family is for having guns in the home. The picture is from a demonstration against stricter gun laws in the USA in Salt Lake City on March 2, 2013. Photo: GEORGE FREY / AFP Many people have problems asking this question because the topic of weapons is politically inflamed in American society. Wrapping the question American parents are advised to wrap the question if they feel it is difficult to ask it, writes KidsHealth.org. Examples of an entrance that can make it easier are; “Our child is above average curious. Is there a weapon or something else our girl should be told to stay away from? ” “I have heard that some children have experienced wet shots in homes they have visited. Our child is not used to weapons and if you have a weapon, is it locked? ” The answer is revealing The answer and body language should determine whether you should send your child for accommodation, write several American websites. Children and young people are allowed to hold rifles and revolvers at an arms fair under the auspices of the NRA. In Houston, Texas May 4, 2013. Photo: ADREES LATIF / Reuters If parents react with irritation or other visible negativity, you may want to not send your child to your friend’s family. If parents respond with understanding and a reaction that shows that they think the question is in place, that’s fine. Stephenie Walker writes in rocketcitymom.com that one should fall off her shoulders when the mother who was asked, thanked her for asking. Read also: 16 killed in school shooting in Texas Families with children with unlocked weapons at home In the United States, it is common to store weapons at home. This also applies to families with children. As much as 40 percent of weapons in homes with children are not secured, writes Rocketcitymom.com. This means that the weapons are not locked inside a cupboard or drawer, and that the weapon is not kept separate from ammunition. At least one in three families with children has a firearm in their home. About 10 percent of all those shot and killed are children, writes the website npr.org. Mothers with weapons are safe mothers, the poster says. The picture is from a demonstration against stricter gun laws in the USA in Washington DC on May 14, 2000. Photo: MANNY CENETA / AFP In 2020, 45,222 people were shot and killed in the USA. 4357 of these were children. From 2019 to 2020, the number of people killed with weapons increased by 13.5 percent. What is worrying is that 30 percent more children between the ages of one and 19 were shot in the same period. It reports the New England Journal of Medicine. Many families acquire weapons to protect themselves from an intruder. But it is more likely that the weapon will hit a person in the home, writes KidsHealth.com. Debate over guns flared up After mass shootings at a school in Texas recently, there is again a lot of attention about guns in the community. The debate about whether it is the large supply of weapons that leads to the many shooting episodes has flared up again. Every day, 78 children are injured or killed by gunfire in the United States. In American society, there are more firearms than residents. And every week, someone is accidentally shot by toddlers fiddling with weapons. Pro-weapons demo in Houston, Texas. Photo: Eric Gay / AP
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