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Parents Don’t Ask about Guns When Approving a Play Date    

Jim Windell

            Several years ago I wrote a story for the Oakland Press about guns and kids. One of the people I interviewed for this story was a woman whose son was shot to death by a friend.

            I remember that she told me that she asked her son if the parents were going to be home and if they were going to be playing video games. What she didn’t think of asking was a question as to whether there was a loaded gun in the house. There was a loaded gun in the house and her son’s friend wanted to show him the gun. It was discharged and her son was killed. Because of this, she began to advocate for parents to be sure to ask about a loaded gun when their kids went to a friend’s house for a play date.

            I was reminded of this heart wrenching interview after a recent article in Pediatrics. In that article, it was noted that more than60 percent of Illinois parents had never asked another parent about an unlocked firearm in their home before allowing their child to visit for a play date. In fact, many parents in a survey conducted by Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago reported they had not asked about firearms because it never occurred to them to do so. This suggests a critical need to raise awareness of this important safety concern.

           The statistics bear out this concern. Among children 0-14 years old, almost 20 percent of unintentional firearm-related deaths occur at a friend’s home. Furthermore, approximately 40 percent of U.S. households with children have a firearm in the home, yet only 44 percent of these households store firearms locked and unloaded, which is the most secure possible manner.

           According to Samaa Kemal, M.D., M.P.H., lead author of the Pediatrics’ article, “Parents need to approach the topic of firearm safety in the homes their child visits in the same way they would ask other parents about supervision during play dates or similar questions related to their child’s safety.  “Parents need to ask about the presence of firearms in the home and about secure storage methods. These discussions with other parents are crucial for prevention of children’s injury and death from improperly stored firearms.” 

           Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago is a nonprofit organization committed to providing access to exceptional care for every child. It is the only independent, research-driven children’s hospital in Illinois and one of less than 35 nationally. Exclusively focused on children, all Lurie Children’s resources are devoted to serving their needs. Research at Lurie Children’s is conducted through Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute, which is focused on improving child health, transforming pediatric medicine and ensuring healthier futures through the relentless pursuit of knowledge.

           Survey responses were received from 1,000 Illinois parents. Dr. Kemal, Emergency Medicine physician at Lurie Children’s and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and his colleagues found that parents were less likely to ask about firearms if they were female, over 40 years old, living in rural areas, did not have a college degree and had lower household income. There were no differences based on parent race and ethnicity or ages of children in the home.

           Find the original article with this reference:

Kemal, S., Menker, C., Lennon, T., Macy, M. L., Sheehan, K. M., Attridge, M. M., ... & Heffernan, M. E. (2024). Factors Associated with Parents Asking Other Parents About Firearms in the Home. Pediatrics, 154(6).