Parents magazine has an interesting article titled Guns Within Reach in which it states that “More than 1.5 million children live in households where firearms are kept unlocked and loaded” and that:

Each year, nearly 140 minors are accidentally killed and more than 3,000 are injured by firearms, most often at home or while visiting a friend, relative, or caregiver. About a quarter of victims under age 14 unintentionally shoot themselves. And, according to data from the Harvard School of Public Health, these estimates are certainly low, because many unintended shootings are incorrectly labeled as homicides.

No matter what your personal  feelings are on owning guns, it’s important to discuss gun safety with your children and with other parents, especially when you are letting your child go over for a playdate or sleepover. We may think that people in our area may be like-minded, but that’s not always the case. The article encourages parents to ask if there are guns in the home and how they are stored before letting their children over someone’s home.

I’m just starting to do drop-off playdates and I’ve honestly never asked, nor have I been asked when a parent drops off her/his child at my home. I’m embarrassed to admit that I’ve assumed that the parents that I’ve gotten to know are not gun owners. It’s a naive and ignorant way of thinking. You can’t tell if someone is a gun owner by the way he/she looks, acts, lives… You also cannot tell if someone is a responsible gun owner, who practices every safety precaution, unless you ask.

Do you ask parents if they have a gun in the home before a playdate? Take our poll:

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