Few Kids Realize BB Gun Dangers
More than half of U.S. children 10 to 17 years old have used BB or pellet guns, but only one in four was aware that the guns are potentially lethal, a survey has found.
About 53% of children in the age group have used a BB or pellet gun, with most firing the more powerful air pump and carbon dioxide rifles, according to the survey.
The BB and pellet gun data were included in a larger survey on toy safety that found nine in 10 adults consider product safety a “very important” factor in toy purchases.
The survey, conducted by Prevention magazine and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, also found that nearly a third of adult toy buyers surveyed didn’t know that the age recommendation placed on toys for children referred to child safety and not a child’s ability to understand how the toy is used.
New warning labels put on toys manufactured or imported after Jan. 1, 1995, have helped clear up that misconception, the survey found.
Products designed for children ages 3 to 6 must bear a warning on the package: an exclamation point within a triangle and the words, “Choking hazard--not for children under 3.”
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