“As you finalize your plans, remember that safety never takes a vacation,” said Harley Roden, LCDC, program coordinator for injury prevention at the Center for Community Health. 

According to the 2024 Community Health Needs Assessment of households with guns in Cook Children’s eight-county service area, approximately one in five children live in a home with guns that are not always safely locked away. In 2025, Cook Children's saw 68 unintentional gun-related injuries, one of which was fatal. Cook Children’s Aim For Safety program focuses on education and outreach about gun safety to decrease the number of youth injured or killed by a gun.  

“Taking a moment now to ensure all guns are securely stored both at home and while traveling prevents a much-needed break from turning into an unplanned trip to the emergency room,” said Roden.  

The Aim for Safety program takes a pro-safety approach, staying away from politics and focusing on preventing unintentional injury. In 2025, the program distributed 488 gun safes and 3,523 cable locks to the community. Families can find cable locks at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth and Prosper emergency departments. To learn more, visit aimforsafety.org or contact injury.prevention@cookchildrens.org with any questions. 

Roden recommends talking to kids about guns and safety. Aim For Safety can provide families with resources like graphic novels and other materials to help with the conversation.   

The program shares these safety tips: 

Safe Storage 

• Store guns unloaded in locked locations and out of reach of children.
• Use cable locks and gun boxes.
• Secure ammunition separately. 

If You See a Gun 

• Stop.
• Don't touch it.
• Run away.
• Tell a trusted adult. 

Safe Play 

• Ask the parents of your child's friends if they have guns in their homes and how they are being stored.
• If you are asked about your guns, don't be offended.
• Never aim BB guns or pellet guns at another person. 

Aim for Safety in the Community: 
LVT Rise: Saturday, March 28 | 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.  
Carrollton: Saturday, May 2 | 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. 

Lives Impacted by Gun-Related Injuries and Prevention Efforts at Cook Children's 

• In FY 2025, Cook Children’s Medical Center-Fort Worth treated 68 gun-related injuries and one fatality.
• In FY 2024, Cook Children’s Medical Center-Fort Worth treated 62 gun-related injuries.
• Most non-fatal injuries were caused by air-powered guns (BB guns, airsoft guns, paintball guns, etc.), while most severe or fatal injuries were caused by handguns.  

Related Stories:   

• Expert Tips for a Safe Spring Break: Water Safety
• Experts Urge Safe Gun Storage as School's Out
• The Ultimate Holiday Safety Checklist 

Dan Guzman, M.D., a Cook Children’s emergency physician, called the day gut-wrenching for the victims, their families, and the medical staff that took care of the kids, ranging from ages 3 to 14.

Gun awareness and gun safety is a passion for Dr. Guzman. He is the medical director of the Aim for Safety program at Cook Children’s, which promotes firearm safety for children. The program is a multi-step interactive experience that provides parental awareness and teaches children the steps they should take when they encounter a firearm.

“I think most people think this ‘won’t happen to us’ because we’ve taught our kids to never touch guns,” Dr. Guzman said. “But if you aren’t taking the proper precautions as the adult and parent, it’s probably only a matter of when, not if, your life may be affected by an unintentional discharge involving someone you know, and maybe even your child.”

Firearm-related fatalities are a top 3 cause of death among children in the United States.

Dr. Guzman said before the weekend, the medical center staff sees about one child per week. Already in 2019, three gunshot wounds treated at the medical center have been fatal.

“Unfortunately, the tragedy of children falling victim to unsecured firearms continues to happen daily,” Dr. Guzman said. “These preventable incidents and the pain and suffering they inflict can be reduced by properly securing your firearms.”

As part of the program, Dr. Guzman offers these safety tips to follow:

The 3 Ts of firearm safety and children

Talk – This includes your family, neighbors and friends. When your child visits other homes, ask the owners if there are guns in their homes and how they are stored. Dr. Guzman said this question is not to be insulting, but to keep your children safe from unsecured firearms.

Teach – Have a conversation with your kids about what to do if they see a gun:

• Stop
• Don’t touch the gun
• Run away
• Tell someone

Take – Dr. Guzman is asking gun owners to take action and store their firearms properly. And, to take personal responsibility for our children’s safety.

Dr. Guzman stressed that children are curious and impulsive which can be deadly when paired with a firearm. Storing a loaded firearm under the mattress, in a bedside table or a closet is placing your family at risk, Dr. Guzman added.

The most secure place for your firearm is in a safe with the ammunition stored separately. Unsecured firearms should always be in your possession. If you are unable to purchase a gun safe, then separating the ammunition from the firearm and using a cable or trigger lock will help reduce the risk of unintentional injury to your child.

“It’s important to assess and evaluate your home injury risk and find ways to reduce the hazards in your home whether it is related to firearms, water safety, poisonings or any other safety risks,” Dr. Guzman said. “Discussing with your children the importance of what to do when they encounter a firearm can help to reduce unintentional injury in your home.

NBC 5 reports that a toddler was shot in the head at a Fort Worth home last week. Police said the child’s mother and father were at the house and twin 2-year-olds were present at the time. 

While few details have been released about the shooting, Dan Guzman, M.D., an emergency physician at Cook Children’s and a gun owner himself, wants to make gun safety a priority in family’s homes. According to a 2017 Pew study, 30 percent of Americans own guns. Last year, 24 children were treated for gunshot wounds at Cook Children’s.

“Unfortunately, the tragedy of children falling victim to unsecured firearms continues to happen daily,” Dr. Guzman said. “These preventable incidents, and the pain and suffering they inflict can be reduced by properly securing your firearms.”

Dr. Guzman began the new Aim for Safety program at Cook Children’s, which gives parents the real-time opportunity to see what they would do if they found a gun.

Dr. Guzman stressed that children are curious and impulsive which can be deadly when paired with a firearm. Storing a loaded firearm under the mattress, in a bedside table or in a closet is placing your family at risk, Dr. Guzman added.

The safest place for your firearm is in a safe with the ammunition stored separately. Unsecured firearms should always be in your possession. If you are unable to purchase a gun safe, then separating the ammunition from the firearm and using a cable or trigger lock will help reduce the risk of unintentional injury to your child.

“It’s important to assess and evaluate your home injury risk and find ways to reduce the hazards in your home whether it is related to firearms, water safety, poisonings or any other safety risks,” Dr Guzman said. “Discussing with your children the importance of what to do when they encounter a firearm can help to reduce unintentional injury in your home.”

Teaching children basic firearm safety tips can save a child’s life such as:

• Stop
• Don’t touch
• Run away
• Tell a grown up

In addition, when your children visit other homes ask the owners of the home – parents of your child’s friends, your children’s grandparents or other close family members – if there are guns in their homes and how they are stored. Dr. Guzman said this question is not to be insulting, but to keep your children safe around unsecured firearms.

Aim for Safety focuses on protecting children from firearms. The program can help to answer any questions about your child’s safety and help to direct you to any resources to find the appropriate storage device.

Aim for Safety will begin a new program soon to show parents what can happen when their children encounter a firearm. For more information, please visit aimforsafety.org.

For more on this topic:

• Aim for Safety
• Program Aims to Protect Children from Accidental Shootings