Saving lives can be easy
Last night was a night of firsts for me.
I babysat a new family for the first time, but as I was walking to their house, I psyched myself up for a bigger first: asking if there was a gun in the home.
When I got there, we had the usual conversations: dinner, bedtime routine, any homework to be done..? So when I got to it, I tried to make it as casual as possible.
"Just for safety reasons, is there a gun in the home?"
Their answer, as is the answer for many Americans with children in the home, was a clear No. But for many Americans, it's not such an easy question to answer. Gun safety is a big issue, with as many as 4 .6 million children in the US living in a home with an unlocked, loaded gun. Many of them know where it is hidden, even if their parents aren't aware of that.
These can be difficult and awkward conversations to have, but they are completely necessary for the safety of our children and families. Preventable shootings happen every day, including suicides and homicides, but also completely accidental shootings by children thinking they've found a toy.
Ask for your child.
Ask for your friends.
Ask for yourself.
It's one simple way to help prevent the unimaginable. Go to askingsaveskids.org to take the pledge to ASK.