Gun Safety, Play Dates, Mt. Lebanon School District, and PA HB 1168

The following appeared in the Washington Elementary Newsletter over the weekend:

Community News

Having "The Talk" About Guns

Don't miss this important information from Mt. Lebanon Chief of Police Aaron V. Lauth: Here's the scenario...you schedule a play date for after school with your child's classmate. You've asked their classmate's parent the tough questions..."what time should I come pick them up?"... "should I send a snack?"...maybe even, "do you have an extra car seat so my child is safe and secure on the drive to your house?" Have you ever considered asking the parent if they have any unsecured firearms in their home?  It's not a question that is regularly thought of or one that is always easy to ask. Consider the following information and decide for yourself if this is an important question to consider asking. With an estimated 270 million civilian-owned firearms in the U.S. -- nearly one for every man, woman, and child -- the odds are good that there's a gun (if not several) located someplace where your child spends time. If that fact doesn't give you pause, this one will: A study published inPediatrics found that nearly 1.7 million children under age 18 live with a loaded and unsecured gun in the house. It could be on a closet shelf, in a drawer, or under a mattress -- where a child can easily reach it. Yet few parents raise the issue of firearms before letting their kid play at someone else's home. "Most parents who own guns are responsible about keeping them locked, unloaded, and stowed away safely," says Beth Ebel, M.D., a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics' (AAP) Council on Injury, Violence, and Poison Prevention. "Yet nearly 40 percent of gun-owning households with children have an unlocked gun to which a child might gain access." Since 1988, the National Rifle Association's Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program has been promoting firearm safety in schools and youth groups as well as through law-enforcement agencies. Its main points: If you see a gun, 1. Stop. 2. Don't touch. 3. Leave the area. 4. Tell an adult. MLPD Crime Prevention Officers utilize and teach kids these key points during some of their safety lessons in the elementary schools throughout the district. Unfortunately, research shows that most kids can't resist the lure of handling a gun, even after they've been warned repeatedly not to do so. "Children can recite what to do if they find a gun and still do the wrong thing when it counts," says Raymond Miltenberger, Ph.D., professor of applied behavior analysis at the University of South Florida, in Tampa. As proof, he cites his studies published in Pediatrics, which showed that 4- and 5-year-olds who participated in verbal safety training didn't follow the correct procedure when they were left alone in a room containing a gun. When scheduling that next play date, please consider asking about unsecured firearms. It could save your child's life. Some additional resources on the topic can be found at the following links: http://askingsaveskids.org/ http://besmartforkids.org/ http://www.parents.com/kids/safety/guns-within-reach/  http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/10/living/guns-parenting/ ~Julie Toussaint, PTA President Meanwhile, PA HB 1168 passed in the House (Dan Miller voted against it)  where every Commonwealth school district will be required to provide at no charge to the PA Game Commission a classroom for hunter education classes. The PAGC would supersede any activity occurring after school, evening, or weekend classes. PA HB 1168 was sent to the Senate on October 30, 2015. Our commission will be voting to permit "sharpshooting" in Mt. Lebanon on January 23, 2016. We are sending mixed messages to our children. I pray that there will be no accidents.