(1/20/12) – Safe Kids Pee Dee/Coastal reminds families to take caution during Gun Safety Month (January) as well as year-round. Access to guns creates a risk for serious injury and death. Most firearm-related injuries and deaths of children and adolescents involve handguns.

Safety Tip

Always be aware of what your target is and what is beyond it. A bullet may miss the intended object and hit a non-target around or beyond it. Someone or something could also pass in front and be hit with a bullet. Additionally, a bullet may pass through the intended goal, called "over penetration."

For more information on preventing injuries in children, visit the Safe Kids website at www.safekids.org.

Safe Kids Pee Dee/Coastal works to prevent unintentional childhood injury, the leading cause of death and disability to children ages birth to 14. Its members include Florence County Sheriff’s Department, City of Florence Police Department, South Carolina Highway Patrol, and the City of Florence Fire Department. Safe Kids Pee Dee/Coastal is a member of Safe Kids Worldwide, a global network of organizations dedicated to preventing unintentional injury. Safe Kids Pee Dee/Coastal was founded in 1995 and is led by McLeod Health, and funded in part by the McLeod Health Foundation.