Sunday, June 21 is National ASK (Asking Saves Kids) Day, a day to focus on the lifesaving message of the ASK campaign. In America, nearly 1.7 million children live in a home with a loaded, unlocked gun, and a staggering 40 percent of homes with children have a gun, making it more likely that a child is playing in a house with a gun than one with a family dog.
The consequences? Eight children are killed by guns each day in the U.S.; almost 3,000 kids each year. Another 48 children are wounded with guns each day, more than 17,500 each year.
Parents ask all sorts of questions to protect their children when they go play at the home of a friend, neighbor or caregiver. But one important question that more than half of parents say they never ask is: “Is there a gun in your home?” If the answer is no, that’s one less thing to worry about. If the answer is yes, parents are urged to ensure that the guns are stored locked and separate from ammunition, preferably in a gun safe.
ASK Day takes place on the first day of summer, a time of year when children play more often in other homes. For more information, including great tips on how to make asking these questions easier, visit: www.askingsaveskids.org.

June 17th, 2009 | Category: Metro Parent