“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 

Fortunately, none of the children died from the shootings, but it left even a seasoned staff from the Emergency Department and Trauma team shaken.

“Gunshots are not something you should think of when you think of pediatrics,” said Corwin Warmink, Medical Director of the Emergency Department at Cook Children's. “It takes a huge toll on our staff because we are treating children. These are young, innocent victims whose lives have ended or have been altered forever. Gunshots cause terrible injuries, even if there is not a death, they are devastating" 

From 2016 to present, 24 kids have been treated at Cook Children's for a gunshot wound. Fourteen were for a BB gun shot, five from a pellet gun, four from a handgun and one from a 40-caliber weapon.

Dr. Warmink said a child-involved shooting carries with it an extra weight because of who inflicted the wound – another child or family member – and it can tear a family apart.

“It’s so frustrating because like drowning, this is something that is 100 percent preventable,” Warmink said. “There’s no reason why a child should have access to a gun, especially a loaded weapon and there’s no reason a child should have the ability to load the weapon.”

Guns in a house or car should never be loaded and accessible, Dr. Warmink said. The gun and the ammunition should be in separate locations and both places should be locked so the child won’t have access to them.

While a handgun or rifle can cause instant devastation, Dr. Warmink warns parents not to get complacent with pellet or BB guns.

“Pellet guns and BB guns can cause serious injuries, and we have seen deaths from them,” Dr. Warmink said. “It only takes one gunshot to the eye or chest for a kid’s life to be forever changed. A pellet gun into the heart or head can cause severe injury or even death.

Dr. Warmink does not mince words to who is responsible for a child-involved shooting – the adults are responsible for keeping guns out of the reach of children. He said some children, depending on age and maturity, won’t understand the finality of a gunshot wound.

"People talk about educating their children about guns, but young children can't comprehend how dangerous a gun is. With guns, it is not a matter of 'uh oh, I made a mistake, but will be smarter next time.' When it comes to gunshot wounds, you don't get a second chance," Dr. Warmink said.

*Data provided by the Trauma Registry of Cook Children's Medical Center, Fort Worth, Texas.

About the Source

Corwin Warmink, M.D., is medical director of Cook Children's Emergency Services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Cook Children's Emergency Department (ED) treats more than 105,000 patients every year. Our ED is the only EMS-designated pediatric trauma center in Tarrant County. Now, thanks to years of dedication and hard work, Cook Children'sMedical Center has reached Level II Trauma Designation from the American College of Surgeons and the Department of State Health Services. Cook Children's Medical Center is one of nine such facilities in the state of Texas. Click to learn more.