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Awkward Conversations Come With Being a Parent...

ASK (Asking Saves Kids)

By askingsaveskids.org June 19, 2014
In America, one out of three homes with children has a gun, and nearly 1.7 million children live in a home with a loaded, unlocked gun. Every year thousands of kids are killed and injured as a result.

The ASK (Asking Saves Kids) Campaign promotes a simple idea with the potential to help keep kids safe. It encourages parents to ASK if there is an unlocked gun in the homes where their children play.

Parents ask all sorts of questions before their children visit other homes. They ask about pets in the house, discuss allergies and Internet access, and ask questions about supervision. ASK encourages parents to add one more question to this conversation: “Is there an unlocked gun in your house?” It’s a simple question, but it has the power to save a child’s life.

Every parent cares about the safety of their children. ASK allows parents to play an active role in keeping kids safe. Any parent can make a difference by ASKing, and encouraging others to do the same.

For more than a decade, the ASK Campaign has partnered with over 400 grassroots organizations to spread its message in neighborhoods nationwide.

The ASK Campaign was created in collaboration with the American Academy of Pediatrics who has promoted the ASK message to its 60,000 members across the country. The ASK Campaign has successfully inspired an estimated 19 million households to ask if there are guns where their children play.

June 21st is National ASK Day. Held annually on the first day of summer, a season when children spend more time in other homes, ASK Day reminds parents about the importance of ASKing if there is an unlocked gun where their children play. This ASK Day, pledge to ASK at www.askingsaveskids.org. You can also learn about more ways to get involved, and how you can spread the ASK message, both on ASK Day and year - round.

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