Ask family, friends, and neighbors if their guns are locked up.
As a parent, you must make sure that your kids are safe outside the home. If your child goes over to play at a friend’s house, do you speak with the parents at the home and ask if they own a gun and if it is stored safely? These may seem like difficult questions to ask but your child’s safety is at stake.
Don’t you ask if a pool is gated, if pets are trained and safe, that peanuts are not present if your child has an allergy, that a parent or caretaker will be home to supervise? Asking about guns and safe gun storage is just another question you should ask when you entrust your child’s well-being to someone else. If you were to ask people you know, you would be surprised to learn how many of them actually have a gun in their home.
One of the easiest ways to start a discussion about safe gun storage is to reveal what you do at home to keep your child and their friends safe. Consider the following conversations:
Hi Suzy! I’m so happy to meet you and so glad that our sons want to be friends. I anticipate many playdates at each other’s homes. I want to let you know what our home is like so you can make a decision if that works for you when considering your son’s safety.
We have a dog. He is small and friendly but if you are concerned, we will put him in a bedroom or on a leash.
We do not have guns in our home because we believe it is not safe.
We have a swimming pool at our apartment but I want to assure you that it is gated and locked at all times and that the gate is high enough that the kids will not be able to climb over it. If you agree to allow them to go swimming, I will be there to watch them at all times and will not leave. I will not be distracted by my cellphone.
We have a gun in our home but it is unloaded and locked in a safe. We also have the ammunition stored separately from our gun in a separate lock box. Our son does not know the combination to either safe.
If someone tells you their guns are stored safely, ask what that means to them because many states require that guns be stored unloaded and locked up and that ammunition be stored separately. You should require that too!
And, if you feel like you would be more comfortable having the children play at your home … say so!
I’m looking forward to the boys getting together but I would feel more comfortable if they played in a gun free home (or a home where guns are stored apart from ammunition and locked up.) I’m happy to host the boys at our home if our safety rules meet with your approval. I’m looking forward to the boys becoming good friends!
These conversations may feel awkward at first but your children are precious and your responsibility. If you are fearful about losing a friendship, you must consider which is more important — your child’s safety or a friendship — that decision that is up to you.
