DETROIT – Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Detroit said they’ve already seen more children with gun injuries than last year.
According to Detroit Police Department, 16 people under the age of 17 have been killed in shootings this year alone. Five of the 16 deadly shootings were accidental.
The latest child to be shot and killed was an eight-year-old girl. It’s still under investigation, but police say she was home with her 10-year-old brother Tuesday and they found an unsecured gun.
Read: 8-year-old girl killed after gun found while she was home alone with 10-year-old brother in Detroit
Lisa Vitale is the program manager for the hospital’s Trauma, Burn, and Injury Prevention program. She speaks to many parents and grandparents after an accidental shooting occurs.
“It’s, you know, ‘how did this happen,’” said Vitale. “‘I never thought this would happen. I didn’t know this could happen. I didn’t know that they would be able to pull the trigger or do anything like that.’”
The recent numbers show that it can happen, accident or not. Vitale said from Jan. 1 to Sept. 14, Children’s Hospital has treated 30 children with gun injuries. On the same day in 2021, there were 25 gun injuries; by the end of the year, that number was 26.
“The year isn’t even over yet,” Vitale said. " We, unfortunately, have seen an increase in gun injuries.”
Even nationally, firearms have surpassed motor vehicles as the number one cause of death among children in the U.S.
Vitale says the damage done after a shooting involving a child, especially an unintentional shooting, goes beyond that one child as it impacts their siblings too.
“Nobody wants to see a child get hurt at all, especially by unintended gun violence,” Vitale said. “So it really does have an effect on the adults, the children. And this is really, you know, a reminder that we need to be careful and we need to be safe.”
Vitale said there are several resources available to gun owners, like gun locks which local law enforcement agencies offer for free.
Vitale also says it doesn’t matter whether the gun is yours or a guest’s. Securing a firearm is the best way to prevent an accident.
“Educate yourself,” Vitale said. “Ask visitors if they have a gun. If your child is going to someone else’s house to have a playdate, The Ask Campaign, ask them if they have a gun.”