You’re a parent whose child has been invited by a friend from school to come over for a play date. You first call the other parent to check on a few things: Do they have a dog (your child fears dogs), do they have a pool (your child can’t swim), are there peanut-laden foods easily obtainable (your child has a peanut allergy), and, of course, are there firearms and if so, are they securely stored and out of reach?
That last question is part of the continuing message by the Toledo chapter of Moms Demand Action, a national organization that promotes gun safety and responsible firearm ownership.
“It’s really important to normalize that conversation about guns in the home,” said Erin Kramer, a former leader with the local Moms chapter who now is a volunteer because of her role as a member of Toledo City Council. “It should be part of the routine,” she said about the conversation one parent would have with another before agreeing to having a child go to a friend’s home for a play date – same as parents would about other potential threats such as pets, pools and peanuts, for example.
“If you have that conversation and the other parent says they have firearms securely stored, I know it’s safe.” If they say otherwise, “I don’t really feel comfortable. But just having that conversation opens up a wider conversation – maybe that parent has never thought about locking up that gun.”
Kramer, director of admissions for Owens Community College, added, “Just having that conversation about having guns and locking them up is important. Locking up guns can prevent accidents from happening.”
She added, “Any time you’re thinking about having your kid going to someone else’s house, have that conversation. If the child is 4 years old or 14, you want to be sure about the kind of environment the child’s going into.”
To promote the safe storage of firearms, Moms Demand Action has made available at no charge cable-based gun locks for several years. The locks have been provided by the Veterans Affairs office in Ann Arbor.
RELATED: Moms Demand Action Shines Light on Gun Safety, Common Sense
Moms took a further step this Spring, partnering with the Toledo Lucas County Public Library system to offer those locks, again free of charge and thanks to the Ann Arbor VA. Kramer said the library-available distribution began April 22. “In the first month they gave out almost 500 locks,” she said. “The need is there.”
She added some gun owners prefer more-sophisticated gun locks, like the kind that is unlocked with the owner’s fingerprint. The important point is to have the firearm securely stored, she said.
Every gun lock given by the library system comes with a handout that explains Moms’ framework for preventing child gun deaths and injuries called SMART, an acronym that stands for:
- Secure all guns in homes and vehicles.
- Model responsible behavior around guns.
- Ask about the presence of unsecured guns in other homes (the focus of Kramer’s message).
- Recognize the role of guns in suicides.
- Tell your peers to be SMART, and to spread the word.
Kramer said Toledo City Council quickly got on board with the gun-lock program through the library system, and that the city is a Store It Safe community as designated by the Ohio Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
“In Toledo we’re trying to do what we can locally to keep folks safe,” Kramer said. “We want to protect our children and [for them to] have a fun play date.”
