At the first Durango rally in honor of National Gun Violence Awareness Day in Buckley Park on Saturday, speakers focused on gun safety and storage.
“We are talking about gun safety, we are not talking about taking guns away,” said Dr. Sarah Goodpastor with Moms Demand Action For Gun Sense in America.
Indivisible Durango hosted the event, held in conjunction with rallies across the country.
Goodpastor got involved in gun safety after one young boy accidentally shot his brother while playing with his father’s gun in Houston, where she was living at the time, she said.
“That tore our community apart,” she said.
She understands that people want to have guns in their homes, but she wants to make sure that children do not have access them.
The presence of a gun in a home can increase the risk of homicide and suicide, and those who attempt suicide with a firearm are much more likely to be successful, she said.
Safely storing guns helps protect children and emotionally vulnerable adults, she said.
“Kids’ brains are not developed enough to not want to go and play and touch a gun,” she said.
It’s not enough to simply hide a gun from your children, it needs to be secured, she said. Almost 40 percent of parents erroneously believe their children do not know where the guns in their homes are stored, Goodpastor said, referencing a review published this year in Hospital Pediatrics.
Co-chairwoman of Indivisible Durango’s Gun Safety Committee, Jean Walter is a turkey hunter and gun owner. She wants to see change that would keep guns away from felons and people who are criminally insane.
“I am appalled at the reputation that gun owners get. ... We all want less gun violence,” she said.
For more information about the Moms Demand Action For Gun Sense in America campaign, visit besmartforkids.org.
Goodpastor is planning local trainings for those who want to spread the word about gun safety. She can be reached at besmartforskidsdurango@gmail.com.
mshinn@durangoherald.com
