To the Editor:

Re “Children and Guns: The Hidden Toll” (“Bearing Arms” series, front page, Sept. 29):

The American Academy of Pediatrics has long recognized the public health threat that guns pose to children and has urged Congress to allow federal agencies to conduct research on gun violence prevention with full financial support and without political interference.

The other “hidden” aspect of the toll of gun violence on children is one that pediatricians are all too familiar with and that statistics do not adequately quantify. The article features several families who lost children to accidental shootings, and each family’s grieving is worsened by related stresses.

Along with the tragic loss of life, there is an enduring effect on the life of the young child who fatally shot his sister; on the caregiver who inadvertently left a loaded, unlocked gun within the child’s reach; and on the surviving parents and children. Stress begets stress. Resiliency is not guaranteed.

Children deserve to be safe and to feel safe in their homes, school and communities; that is why pediatricians will continue to speak out against gun violence in our communities, in the halls of Congress and in the media.