SAN ANTONIO – During gun violence awareness month, KSAT examined how firearms affect children in the community and across Texas.
Bexar County’s latest records from 2023 show that there were 23 gunshot-related fatalities in children.
The county said that guns are the No. 1 cause of death for local children.
Statewide, there were at least 36 unintentional shootings by children in Texas in 2023, with 14 resulting in death, according to the nonprofit organization Everytown.
A Houston family spoke about gun violence from both the criminal and accidental sides.
“Feb 14, 2022, was the last day we had a normal day in our family,” said April Aguirre.
April’s 9-year-old niece, Arlene Alvarez, was killed in Houston.
“Arlene was on her way to dinner with her mom, dad, and her two brothers. Unfortunately, in a case of mistaken identity, an individual decided to shoot into our vehicle and struck Arlene in the right temple,” April said.
The tragedy became known nationwide and pushed April into advocacy, where she now educates people across the state on gun-related deaths.
“This year we were very active in the legislature,” April said.
While April has pushed bail reform and other laws pertaining to gun violence, she is also working with Crimestoppers to educate about preventable shootings.
Four accidental shootings in San Antonio happened just within the last year:
- A child in a parked car picked up a loaded gun and accidentally shot and killed 11-month-old Khamari Lang, who was in the same car
- Teens playing with a gun at a child’s birthday party accidentally shot a man who was holding a baby
- Three people were hospitalized after an accidental shooting at a South Side shooting range
- A man holding a gun accidentally shot and killed himself while taking his trash to a dumpster
Situations like those have prompted the county to launch an entire awareness campaign called Bexar Responsibly.
The campaign encourages gun owners to do three things:
- Secure guns: Unload your weapon and use a trigger or cable lock. Removing the magazine is not enough
- Store guns: Lock unloaded firearms in secure cases or safes separate from ammunition. Don’t just hide them
- Talk about it: Teach your children what to do if they find a gun. Ask adults around your children how they secure their guns
“It’s the parents’ responsibility to keep these guns off our children’s hands, both juveniles, toddlers and young children,” April said.
Bexar Responsibly has released survey results that show:
- 53% keep a loaded, easily accessible gun in their house at least some of the time
- 27% keep a loaded, easily accessible gun in their car at least some of the time
- 69% rarely or never inform visitors with children that there are guns in their house
- 27% have never taken a gun safety or hunter safety class
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