CENTENNIAL, Colo. — As part of a new program, a number of Colorado pediatricians are adding a new topic of conversation to their routine checkups with patients — safe firearm storage.
Firearm injuries and deaths have increased in Colorado for people between the ages of 0 to 19 years old, "averaging almost one injury every day and one death per week," according to a study titled Epidemics of Firearm Injury and Death in Colorado Children.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that unintentional injury is the leading cause of death among children and adolescents throughout the country, and firearms are a "leading injury method." The CDC report added that about one half of unintentional firearm injury deaths in that age group happened at a home and "playing with or showing the firearm to another person was the most common precipitator."
The Colorado Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP Colorado) is behind a new initiative called Secure Their Future, which started as a pilot program under Dr. Caitlin Jones-Bamman at her practice Pediatrics 5280.
"Because we're pediatricians, because we know our patients, because we frame it in that context of safety, we really have not had any negative feedback, which is honestly surprising," Jones-Bamman said. "We see the impacts of gun violence on our patients, even here in the suburbs of Colorado, of Denver."
Jones-Bamman, who always knew she wanted to work with children, said the mission of a pediatrician comes down to one thing — the safety of their patients.
"We talk about car seats, and locking up medications if you have toddlers, and sunscreen, and, you know, helmets," Jones-Bamman rattled off. "All of those things. And so to me, this really fits... We really do not care if they own firearms at all. It's more just keeping families safe."
When Denver7 met with Jones-Bamman, she demonstrated what one of her checkups currently looks like with a family.
Jones-Bamman asked the questions one may expect, like if children wear helmets while riding a bike or if they sit in the back seat of the car and wear a seat belt.
Then, she asked if the children know where firearms are stored in the home. At first, she had to explain what a firearm was, before continuing to ask the children what they would do if they encountered a gun at a friend or family member's home.
"There's three easy things that you should remember if you ever find a real gun somewhere: stop, don't touch it, and go get a grown up," Jones-Bamman told the children. "And that's why we talk about this, because we want to make sure you're safe, even if you're at somebody else's house."
During the demonstration, Jones-Bamman also spoke with the children's father, Bud Kop. Kop told the doctor the family had a gun inside the home, but it is kept locked and away from the kids.
"Having gone through hunter safety courses, having had weapons in my family's home growing up, it's just something that has been ingrained in me as a as a gun owner, that you take care of those things and you prevent the possibility of something accidental happening," Kop said.
Pediatricians provide the families with information surrounding safe storage practices, in addition to the option of taking home a cable lock for free. The cable lock can be used on a number of different guns.
The CDC reports that examples of safely securing firearms include storing them locked, unloaded and separate from ammunition.
"But even something as simple as a cable lock is way better than nothing, and I think can be a great deterrent, especially for young children who might just be curious," Jones-Bamman said.
In 2021, Colorado passed House Bill 21-1106 which required firearms be safely stored when unsupervised minors are present in the home, or other unauthorized users. Since then, the Office of Gun Violence Prevention (OGVP) within the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) has worked to help families understand how to comply with the safety precaution.
Secure Their Future was a recipient of a grant from OGVP, which built upon the "existing effort to support community pediatricians in discussing the safe storage of firearms and providing free cable locks to patients at every wellness visit."
Jones-Bamman said as a result of the OGVP grant, Secure Their Future has expanded to 13 practices throughout Colorado, with several in the Denver metro area and others in places like Grand Junction, Steamboat Springs and Colorado Springs.
But Jones-Bamman wants to see the program continue to grow.
"My goal is that it's going to be in every practice in Colorado," Jones-Bamman said. "And if we can do that, then every family in Colorado will get this messaging, and maybe we'll save a life, and then it'll be worth it."
Pediatric practices that would like to participate in Secure Their Future can enroll in the program online.
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