Safe firearm storage may reduce pediatric lead exposure in households with guns
www.brown.edu
A new study led by epidemiologists at Brown University found that among firearm owners, less safe storage was associated with higher blood lead levels in children.
  • fox2263@lemmy.worldEnglish
    8·
    12 hours ago

    Unsafe storage just reduces blood levels in children

    Edit// While increasing lead

  • tio_bira@lemmy.worldEnglish
    112·
    17 hours ago

    One of those problems who only exist on the place where you can buy a Assault rifle on the same store where you buy milk, eggs and a frying pan

    • unitedwithme@lemmy.todayEnglish
      2·
      5 hours ago

      The amount of upvotes is pretty hilarious considering you can’t buy assault rifles anywhere. Shows how uneducated people truly are on the subject.

      “Assault rifles” aren’t available without special federal licensing and several hoops to jump through with ATF-- assuming you’re trying to describe a rifle that’s tactical in appearance and is “full auto”.

      An “AR-15” is Armalight Rifle, not assault rifle. They’re actually a smaller caliber than pretty much every hunting rifle out there. While tactical in appearance, they’re still 100% semi-auto, as are all firearms purchased by anyone in the US.

      I’d also like to point out several places like Dick’s Sporting Goods, Walmart, and a few others have reduced or completely eliminated carrying firearms all together, and might only carry ammunition (which you do need to be at least 18 to buy with ID or 21 in some instances). Other retailers have started adopting stricter rules on sales to reduce liabilities as well.

      The issues with firearms has primarily been laxed storage by family/parents making easy access, lack of education in safety (where accidents often happen from mishandling), or the glorification in the media giving those seeking the attention their “15 minutes of fame”… (Personally, for the ‘mass shooters’ I feel its less to do with mental health issues like the media tries to claim it is, while realistically, I think a lot of it is desensitizing and glorification having made a name for themselves, however wrong/bad it is, and again, getting that spotlight).

      I’ll just add, both my son and daughter had firearms exposure in a safe and controlled environment and know how to handle them. The point is, if a friend ever says, “wanna see my dad’s Gun?” They’ll know how to handle the situation by understanding the dangers, walking away and telling an adult. If they’re ever facing a school situation they’ll better understand what one looks like and tell the nearest adult, etc.

    • Jake Farm@sopuli.xyzEnglish
      3·
      11 hours ago

      Assault rifle you say? Where is this magical place? Last I heard assault rifles were next to impossible to get unless you were a licensed arms manufacturer.

    • Libb@piefed.socialEnglish
      2·
      16 hours ago

      Had not the USA been short on eggs lately, that would not happen with guns… or did I misunderstood the country you were referring to? ;)

  • godsammitdam@lemmy.zipEnglish
    4·
    15 hours ago

    Meanwhile, instead, give up your privacy for age verification.

    Instead of a safe, which requires parents to be accountable, why not have routine in home government inspections? It’s to protect the children.

    (Also, yes, no guns would do it, just drawing a parallel here in our stupid governments oppressing us)

  • AbouBenAdhem@lemmy.worldEnglish
    61·
    15 hours ago

    So I assume this study was meant to narrow down the previously-established association between gun ownership and household lead levels by focusing on gun storage. But couldn’t it also be the case that lead exposure (from guns) is causing caregivers to store their guns less carefully?

    (Or in other words—maybe the danger of elevated household lead due to gun ownership is independent of storage practices; but lead exposure also leads to more dangerous storage practices, which causes the correlation.)

    • psilotop@lemmy.worldEnglish
      4·
      15 hours ago

      Interesting take. That’s not the conclusion that they’re drawing but it’s certainly possible. I also want to know the mechanism for the increased lead levels. Are kids chewing on the bullets? Is lead somehow deposited in the home?

      Edit: I read it again and I feel like something is still missing. Firing a gun leads to lead particles on clothing that come back home. But lack of storage leads to more lead in the children. If you don’t store your gun, are you waving it around your house? Firing it in the basement?

      • frongt@lemmy.zipEnglish
        2·
        14 hours ago

        I skimmed the paper (tiny pdf text on a phone screen is hard to read) and it sounds like merely having a gun out results in airborne contaminants. Any particles light enough to be carried by air currents will be carried around the house instead of just inside the safe. I wasn’t able to read and analyze the tables.

      • Carmakazi@piefed.socialEnglish
        1·
        13 hours ago

        If you place a fired gun (contaminated with GSR) on a surface, particularly where you eat (kitchen counter, dining table) or on a fabric (couch, bed), it contaminates your living space and doesn’t really go away without cleaners that are effective on heavy metals.

        Doesn’t even have to be “stored”. Cleaning your gun on the dining table, for example.

        • psilotop@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1·
          13 hours ago

          Yeah I think this is part of it. I think it has less to do with the storage and more to do with the other activities. Maybe someone who doesn’t lock up their gun is more likely to clean it on the kitchen table, for example

  • DaddleDew@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2·
    16 hours ago

    I thought this was just common sense.

    That’s what you get when your country lets anyone buy a gun without any kind of safety training.