In one year, firearms killed no children in Japan, 19 in Great Britain, 57 in Germany, 109 in France, 153 in Canada, and 5,285 in the United States (Handgun Control). Just looking at these numbers it is obvious that there is a problem with guns killing out children in the United States. The numbers for the death of children in the United States is way too high. In order to prevent these sorts of tragedies from happening, stronger gun control laws must be implemented in our country. Gun control needs to be done nationally so that each and every state has the same laws. The government should do this by requiring that all guns be sold with child safety locks at the time of purchase, requiring background checks on all purchases at gun shows, and lastly requiring that individuals be twenty-one years of age or older in order to get a permit and purchase a handgun.
Requiring that all guns be sold with child safety locks would be one step in the direction of ending gun related deaths. This law would mean that when anyone bought a firearm it would be required that whoever was selling it provide a gun locking device that would prevent the weapon from being fired. In our society children have access to firearms all too well and something needs to be done about it. "More than 1.2 million elementary-aged, latch key children have access to guns in their homes" (Journal of the American Medical Association). In our society there are many families that in order to pay the bills, both parents need to work. In these cases the children come home to empty houses. No children, let alone these "latch key" children should not have any access to guns. With no supervision they could easily take the guns and harm someone. There have been many cases reported of children finding guns in their parent's closets, ones their parents had for the families" protection, thinking it was a toy and accidentally shooting themselves.