Summertime is Gun Safety Time

Two boys reaching for gun on dresser

Gun safety is an important topic any time of year. But when they're not in school, kids might be in new situations where guns could be present. Here are some steps you can take steps to keep kids safe.

Staying safe at other homes

Before your child visits a friend's house for the first time, talk to the parents.

"This can be a tough conversation to have," said Daniel Guzman, M.D., emergency medicine doctor at Cook Children's Medical Center Emergency Department, associate medical director of Emergency Department Trauma Services in Fort Worth and program director for the Aim for Safety firearm safety awareness program. "But it's very important." Dr. Guzman suggests sending text messages to the adults in the home before your child visits.

"A good approach is to say your doctor mentioned seeing a lot of firearm injuries," he said. "Say you know your kids are curious and you want to make sure they don't get into something they shouldn't."

Traveling safely

Another common summer situation is traveling with a gun in the car. "The glove box is not a safe place to put a firearm, even if it is locked," Dr. Guzman said. "Young ones are very curious. It's important to keep it either on your person or in a storage box in the car where no one can get to it."

Want more gun safety tips? Find them here.