Gun Safety: Prevention Tips for Parents
Parents can reduce a child's exposure to guns and ultimately protect a child's life by taking these four steps:
Keep guns away from children.
The safest thing for your family is not to keep a gun in the house. But, if you keep a gun at home, unload and lock it away. Use a gun safe and, at minimum, a gun lock. If you don't have a gun lock, check with CMPD
Keep all ammunition separate from the gun.
Make sure that your children know the dangers of guns. Teach them not to handle or touch guns.
Too often, we assume that children will know what to do if they see a gun at someone's home or elsewhere in the community. Unfortunately, many children and teens do not realize that handling a gun just once can lead to tragedy.When children come across an unsupervised gun or another child with a gun, teach them that they should not touch the gun and should immediately get help from a parent or trusted adult. Before your child visits a friend's home, find out if there is a gun in the home.
Talk to your children about guns and violence.
Explain to them that we all have strong emotions like anger and fear, but that these feelings can be expressed in ways other than striking others or using weapons.
Demonstrate healthy ways to express anger and disagreement. Support your children when they have used positive means of resolving conflict. During positive conflict resolution, children:
- Talk about feelings, rather than act them out
- Make choices to avoid fights
- Get help from trusted adults