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Now that summer is in full swing your children are probably spending lots of
time with friends. But there are some safety concerns that could come into play
when your child visits a friend’s home.
Michelle King is the Director of the Child Advocacy Program at The Children’s
Hospital of Southwest Florida. She says there is one statistic that will likely
surprise many parents. “Traditionally 40 percent of homes with children in them
also have guns in them and I believe here in Lee County that number is very much
so.” That’s why the Child Advocacy Program is once again participating in the
A.S.K program. “Asking Saves Kids is what it stands for and it’s a program that
we support that encourages parents to ask if there’s a gun in the home where
they’re sending their child over to play,” says Michelle. The simple inquiry
could end up saving your child’s life.
“I think most people wouldn’t think to ask - they might ask if there’s a
swimming pool or mention that the child’s allergic to milk but one of the
questions you can ask as well is do you have a gun in your home? “ If the answer
is yes Michelle says the parent should make sure the gun is kept in a place that
is locked and completely out of reach of children. “If they say no it’s on the
night stand or I keep that under the couch then chances are children might find
that when they are playing and it’s not a very safe place to play so you might
just say, why don’t the children play at my house today.”
While it may be an uncomfortable question, Michelle wants parents to consider
the possible alternative to asking about guns in the home. “Generally what we
see are small children who are,you know, preschoolers who are playing in the
home and accidentally come upon the gun so the gun wasn’t stored; the gun was
loaded and somebody accidentally gets shot. It can happen and it does happen
here and we do see the children.”
The Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office
both have programs that offer free gun locks to parents. |
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