In the wake of in Colorado, a new study shows that Colorado teens have easy access to firearms.
, published Monday in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, relied on data from the 2021 Healthy Kids Colorado Study. It surveyed teens and included the question, 鈥淗ow long would it take you to get and be ready to fire a loaded gun without a parent鈥檚 permission?鈥�
One in 4 teens said they could do so within 24 hours. One in 10 said it would take them less than 10 minutes.
The study also found that nearly 40% of teens in rural areas reported having access to firearms, compared to nearly 30% of urban residents.
鈥淗ow quickly someone can access a firearm matters,鈥� said Ginny McCarthy, the lead author on the study and a doctoral candidate at the Colorado School of Public Health. 鈥淧revious studies have examined [that] among individuals who have attempted suicide, the time they would report between that time of suicidal ideation or extreme emotional distress and action usually endures less than 10 minutes.鈥�
In terms of demographics, the study highlighted that suicide rates among Black and American Indian/Alaska Native youths aged 10 to 18 years are rising nationally.
鈥淲hen we looked at the data from these questions, what teens are reporting is consistent with this rise in rates of suicide,鈥� McCarthy said.
McCarthy said every family should have an individualized safety plan. She believes such conversations can help with awareness.
鈥淭he main takeaway is not that people should not own guns,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t's the unawareness of access to guns, particularly if there's a youth or adolescent or any family member who is at risk 鈥� for mental health reasons or otherwise 鈥� to understand that even accidental shootings can be prevented through secure storage.
鈥淚 think also understanding that if we have this conversation with teens, they may be more likely to come to us or to another adult figure in their lives if they are experiencing some kind of emotional distress.鈥�
As of 2021, designed to prevent children from accessing firearms while Colorado was the only state in the Mountain West with a safe storage or gun lock requirement. This month, that will go into effect in June.
The Colorado Firearm Safety Coalition has a where people can find safe spaces to store their guns outside the home.
As of 2020, firearms were the for children in the United States, surpassing car crashes.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, the O'Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West in Montana, 萝莉少女 in Colorado, KUNM in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the .
