-Caveat Lector- Monday June 4 5:35 PM ET Most Boys Will Handle Guns if Given the Chance By Keith Mulvihill NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Boys between the ages of 8 and 12 years old who happen upon a handgun are likely to handle the weapon and some will even pull the trigger, according to a report in the June issue of the journal Pediatrics. Previous research on the subject has found that about one quarter of parents who own guns believe that they can trust a child with a loaded gun by the time he or she reaches age 9, noted lead author Dr. Geoffrey A. Jackman of Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Jackman conducted the research while at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. ``Our study shows that kids between the ages of 8 and 12 years old are at high risk for handling a gun given the opportunity, especially if they are among their peers,'' Jackman told Reuters Health. ``No matter how much you believe a kid will do the right thing, among peers he is going to be exposed to high-risk behavior,'' he added. Jackman and his colleagues sent the boys into a room in groups of three and observed them through a one-way mirror. The researchers had placed two water pistols and one .380 caliber handgun in three separate drawers prior to the boys entering the room. The researchers observed the boys for up to 15 minutes to see if they discovered the handgun and if so, how they handled it. The handgun was wired with a hidden sensor so that a light would flash in the researchers' room if the trigger of the gun was squeezed with enough pressure to fire a bullet. Twenty-nine groups of boys took part in the study and 21 of the groups discovered the handgun, the report indicates. Boys in 16 of the groups handled the gun and boys in 10 of the groups pulled the trigger, Jackman and colleagues report. The researchers note that half of the boys who came across the gun later told them that they were unsure if the gun was real or if it was a toy. ``Boys who were believed to have a low interest in real guns were as likely to handle the handgun or pull the trigger as boys who were perceived to have a moderate or high interest in guns,'' the authors write. The vast majority of boys in the study had received some sort of instruction regarding gun safety. ``Parents need to continue to educate children about gun safety,'' Jackman said. ``And parents should use common sense--there is no reason why they should keep a loaded gun in the house where a child could find it,'' he added. ``Despite the risk of unintentional discharge and other adverse incidents, as many as 13% of gun-owning families keep at least one gun loaded and unlocked,'' Jackman and colleagues point out. ``Unintentional firearms injuries kill about 400 children each year and more than 3,000 children sustain nonfatal injuries. Eighty percent of these shootings involve males, and many incidents occur when a child discovers a gun in the home while playing with a friend or a sibling,'' the authors write. SOURCE: Pediatrics 2001;107:1247-1250. ANOMALOUS IMAGES AND UFO FILES http://www.anomalous-images.com <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
