SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN BY ASKING

 HARRISBURG, JUNE 24 – State Sen. Connie Williams welcomed the arrival of summer by drawing attention to an important thing that all parents can do to protect their children.

 “Across the state, children are enjoying the first few days or weeks of their summer vacation – they’ll be visiting community pools, riding their bicycles, setting up lemonade stands and playing at friend’s houses,” Williams said. “Summer is a fun time, but it also can be a challenging time for parents, as they work to protect their children. One thing that all parents can do to protect their children when they can’t be with them is to take a few moments to ask their friend’s parents if there are guns in their homes.”

 Over 40 percent of the homes in which children are being raised are homes in which guns are present. The national ASK campaign – ASK stands for Asking Saves Kids – encourages parents to ask other parents and neighbors if they have a gun in their home before they send their children over to play.

 “How many tragedies have occurred because children were curious about guns, or thought a gun was unloaded,” Williams said. “On most of these occasions, the parents will tell you that they thought the gun was hidden or safely stored. There is something parents can do to prevent their child from becoming the next statistic – just ask if there are guns present in a home, before your child visits there.”

 According to Williams, parents don’t think twice about asking if their child will have access to inappropriate movies, foods that they don’t want their child to eat, or about seat belt use.

“Why not ask the one question that will save lives,” Williams said.