National ASK Day

Tuesday, June 21 is National ASK Day, which is a part of the Asking Saves Kids campaign of the PAX/Real Solutions to Gun Violence organization.

ASK (Asking Saves Kids) is a program established by the Solutions to Gun Violence group. The association reports that over 40% of homes have guns in them. Of that percentage, many are left unlocked or loaded. Children are curious by nature and every year many die senseless deaths due to a firearm found in the home.

Gun control is a touchy subject on both sides of the issue. In order to make the process of asking another family about whether or not they have guns in the house, the real Solutions to Gun Violence site has compiled a list of common sense ways to ask questions.

• Include your gun inquiry with several other questions. This will ease the situation and not come off as accusatory or confrontational.

• Know your facts. Feel free to quote the statistics.

• Introduce an ASK group into your community via a block party or homeowner's association meeting.

• Don't be confrontational. Common courtesy and politeness go a long way in easing tense situations.

In addition to asking about guns, National ASK Day is a good time to remember that you should ask about many other things before sending your kids over to the home of a friend or family member, such as:

• Is the home well childproofed?

• Will the kids be supervised?

• Do they have a pool or pond, and if so, is there a fence around it with a self-closing and self-latching gate?

• Who else will be in the home?

• Do they observe the ratings on video games, TV shows, and movies?

• Do they have a trampoline, all-terrain vehicle, dirt-bike, bb gun, or other 'toys' that can injure children?

• Will they have unsupervised access to the internet?

It is hard enough to keep your kids safe in your own home, but it is almost impossible if you send your kids to someone else's home who simply 'hides' a loaded gun under a pillow where the kids can find it, lets young kids play teen or mature video games, or play unsupervised in a pool, etc. So ask questions before sending your kids to someone else's home. You can't simply assume that they have the ideas about safety and parenting as you do, just because your kids are the same age, go to the same school, or you live in the same neighborhood.

To view the original sources of this article, please visit http://www.parentdish.com/
and http://pediatrics.about.com/

To learn more about Child Identification and Child Safety, please visit http://www.identakid.com/