Fort Worth designates August as Gun Safety Awareness Month

FORT WORTH, Texas - Weeks after a 12-year-old boy was shot and killed by accident after a toddler got a hold of a gun, the city of Fort Worth is raising awareness about gun safety.

The city is dedicating the month to safety awareness, and doctors with Cook Children's Medical Center were on hand to share some sobering statistics.

Tuesday evening, the Fort Worth City Council proclaimed August as Gun Safety Awareness Month.

It’s at a time when doctors from Cook Children’s Medical Center say they’ve treated dozens of kids for gunshot wounds.

"This weekend on Saturday and Sunday, we saw three kids that came in as a result of firearm injuries," said Dr. Daniel Guzman with Cook Children’s. "All preventable injuries. All of them are going to survive." 

Guzman says two out of three child gunshot victims from over the weekend were from accidental shootings. 

So far, the hospital’s treated 29 young patients. Two have died, including 12-year-old Treyshawn Euness. He was killed by a shot fired by a toddler who got a hold of a gun during a Juneteenth celebration.

Guzman says bringing awareness to gun safety in households can limit tragedies like this one.

"We’re trying to make a difference, bring awareness to the importance of locking up your firearms so kids can’t have unauthorized access and hurt themselves or somebody else," he said.

According to a 2021 survey, of eight counties that Cook Children’s services, it found that one in five children live in a home with guns that aren’t always locked up.

Dr. Guzman wants parents to step up when it comes to gun safety. 

"We have to be the ones that are responsible for those firearms and make sure that we like them up correctly, that they’re in a safe, that the ammunition is separate," he said.

Guzman founded "Aim for Safety," the hospital’s program teaching families what they can do to prevent accidental shootings. 

"All I want to do is save one life. If I’ve done that, I’ve done my job. But we want to do more," he said. "And Cook’s Children wants to do more. We met giving away gun locks. We’re giving away gun safes to help close that gap." 

Cook Children’s Hospital’s ‘Aim for Safety’ was founded in 2017 when Guzman had a 4-year-old patient die from a gunshot wound.