PEDIATRICS Vol. 80 No. 2 August 1987, pp. 307
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Regulation of Hazards to Children

LAWRENCE A. O'BRIEN MD1

1 Department of Pediatrics, USAF Hospital Laughlin, Laughlin Air Force Base, TX 78843-5000

To the Editor.—

As I read the article "Violent Death in Children in a Metropolitan County: Changing Patterns of Homicide 1958 to 1982" (Pediatrics 1986;78:1013-1020), I knew a statement about firearms would be included and I was not disappointed. The last sentence states, "...that firearms are in the same environment as children and that the removal of those firearms would lead to a decline in the number of childhood homicides."

Why do pediatricians continuously advocate the removal of something that carries a degree of risk? Following the false logic of removing objects and/or activities that contain a risk of injury and/or death, we as a society should remove automobiles, motorcycles, airplanes, lawnmowers, firearms, bicycles, tricycles, electricity, swimming pools and bath tubs (even buckets of water), peanuts, safety pins, all household poisons, skateboards and roller skates, trampolines, etc, etc.