Memorial Takes Steps To Ensure Gun Safety
Trauma Center Participates in Project CARGO
According to the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence, a nationwide watchdog group, the rate of American gun violence has increased dramatically in the last 15 years, and American children have paid the price. From 1984 to 1994, the firearm death rate for 15-19 year olds increased 222%. Nearly 800 people of all ages are shot and killed each year by children under age 19. Within the next five years, firearms are expected to overtake motor vehicle accidents as the leading cause of death among American children.
In an effort to prevent gunshot injuries, physicians and nurses at Memorial Regional Hospital Trauma Center are participating in an innovative approach to handgun education called Project CARGO (Communities Addressing Responsible Gun Ownership). Project CARGO is jointly sponsored by Memorial Regional Hospital, the Broward County School Board, and the U.S. Department of Treasury/Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), the three agencies directly affected by handgun deaths and injuries. The program teaches families about gun safety, the importance of securing weapons, and the early warning signs of aggressive behavior that may lead to a shooting.
It all began in February 1998, when school police officer Dan DeCoursey attended a trauma symposium at Memorial discussing handgun accidents. "I said to Larry [Dr. Lawrence Lottenberg, Director of Trauma Services at Memorial], we have 200,000 kids in our school system. What better way to get out the message of handgun safety than through the schools?" DeCoursey remembers. Thus, Project CARGO was born.
One at a time, DeCoursey targets school "innovation zones" encompassing elementary, secondary and special schools. Flyers are distributed inviting students to attend a free after-school Project CARGO session with their parents. Homework passes and guest athletes help entice students and their parents to attend.
76 Million Handguns
The message is apolitical, but crystal-clear. "We don't endorse guns or gun control. We can't legislate morality," DeCoursey says factually. "But there are more than 76 million handguns in the U.S. We stress that if you have a gun, you need to make sure it's locked. If your kids play in another home, we recommend you ask the parents if they have a gun, and if so, is it locked." To help reinforce the message, Memorial Trauma Center nurses Pam Mattingly and Vicki Bennett-Shipman hand out gun locks and books on gun safety free of charge at Project CARGO seminars.
Dr. Lottenberg always makes an impression at Project CARGO meetings. Using graphic photographs of gunshot wounds, he shows families what can happen when curious children get their hands on unlocked guns. DeCoursey recommends that any toy guns given to children be used as training aids in safe handling of firearms. "This way, if the kid ever comes across a real gun, he won't pick it up and point it at anyone," he says.
DeCoursey knows his message is getting through when parents contact him with stories.
"A mother told us that 3 weeks after attending the seminar, she purchased a new squirt gun for her son. When he picked it up, he told her he couldn't point it at anyone because they might think it was a real gun, so he was going to squirt the car," says DeCoursey. "I thought, wow, this is great!"