The owners of firearms must make sure that children aren’t able to access these around the home. This will require vigilance on the part of the parent, as children may naturally be curious about such things. But in order to prevent a potential tragedy, parents can take certain steps, and some of those steps are outlined in a news release from the Police Department of Dedham, Massachusetts.
First off, parents must emphasize to young kids that guns are not toys to be played around with. They may look like certain items you can find in the toy aisle, but that does not make them the same. If you have a gun within the home, lock it up somewhere where a child couldn’t access it and then make sure kids don’t attempt to search for it.
It’s not just your home that you have to worry about. There may come a time when your child is over at a friend’s house and someone gets the bright idea to look for their parents’ gun. At such times, you should let your kids know that they should leave at once and call you. If that’s not possible, and if the friend has their mind set on finding or even using the gun, it is acceptable to call the police at 911.
Kids may be hesitant to take such precautions given the peer pressure that may be involved, but stress that they won’t get in trouble and that they are doing others a favor by removing such dangerous circumstances from the equation.