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One thing everyone can agree on when it comes to guns - keeping them out of the hands of unsupervised children. In the U.S., firearms are the No. 1 cause of death for kids and teens. Gun - safe gun storage and good communication can go a long way in preventing those deaths. Marielle Segarra, the host of NPR's Life Kit, has the story.
MARIELLE SEGARRA, BYLINE: If you have a gun in your home, you'll want to store it safely, so your kids and other kids won't be able to access it without your permission.
LOIS LEE: It's all about access - right? - trying to prevent unauthorized access from a young child or an impulsive teenager.
SEGARRA: Dr. Lois Lee is a pediatric emergency medicine physician at Boston Children's Hospital. She says the safest way to store a firearm at home is unloaded.
LEE: Meaning you take out the ammunition and that you lock up the ammunition and the firearm separately.
SEGARRA: There are different kinds of safes available. One option is a biometric safe.
LEE: Where it can read your fingerprint or your handprint, for example, and therefore sees you only as the authorized user to be able to unlock the gun safe and to take out the firearm.
SEGARRA: These can be more secure than other types of safes because only you can open them, but they're expensive.
LEE: So there's, you know, more traditional kind of lock and key or combination pad safes as well.
SEGARRA: If money is an issue, some states, like Illinois, have passed laws allowing doctor's offices to provide gun safes and gun locks to families. So that might be an option, based on your location. Dr. Lee says you should keep your gun safe and any keys to that safe out of sight and out of reach of kids.
LEE: However, I will say, you know, most kids know where the holiday presents are hidden. So it's - you know, surveys have shown that kids, more often than not, do know where firearms are locked away, even if the parents think that the children don't know.
SEGARRA: If you have a gun in your home, Dr. Lee says you should have a conversation with your children about gun safety, and you'll want to stress to them that guns can kill and seriously injure people.
LEE: And like other things that they're around, like motor vehicles, that they need to have respect for the firearm and also respect for safety rules. So certainly for younger children, meaning middle school, elementary school, you do want to tell them that this is not something that they should handle without an adult present. And teenagers, you know, will be handling firearms on their own if they're hunting or maybe shooting for sport. So again, just reemphasizing the rules of safety for all the children and the household members is really important.
SEGARRA: Now, let's say you don't own a gun, but your child is starting to go to playdates at a friend's house. You can ask other parents if they have a gun and how they store it. Dr. Lee says it might help to make this part of a larger conversation about safety.
LEE: You know, start with things like food allergies. Oh, I'm so glad that, you know, Johnny is coming over to play. He's really excited. Just want you to know he is allergic to peanuts, so, you know, please help him stay away from those. And oh, by the way, if you're driving anywhere, I just want to make sure that you have enough booster seats or car seats. Great. And you know, little Johnny, he is so curious, so I just want to know, how do you have your firearm stored in your home?
SEGARRA: She says you may not get the answer you're hoping for, and you've got to be ready for that. Maybe you'll decide it's best for you all to meet at the playground or another public spot. These conversations might feel awkward, but we, as adults, can power through that 'cause this is about making sure the kids in our lives stay safe and stay alive. For NPR News, I'm Marielle Segarra.
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