How to Reduce the Risk:

• If you do choose to own firearms-- handguns, rifles, or shotguns -- make sure they are safely stored.  That means unloaded, trigger-locked, and in a locked gun case or pistol box, with ammunition stored separately and locked. 
• Store keys out of reach of children, away from weapons and ammunition.  Check frequently to make sure this storage remains secure.
• You should also know that studies show that a gun in the home increases the likelihood of homicide three times and the likelihood of suicide five times.
• Check with parents of children's friends to determine if guns are accessible in their homes.
• Teach your children what to do if they find a firearm or something that might be a weapon -- stop, don't touch, get away, and tell an adult.
• Teach your child what to do if they know someone is thinking of using a gun -- to tell an adult immediately.
• Do not permit your child to take any weapons -- including knives or even toy guns to school.

Stop Violence Before it Happens:

• Take a hard look at what you, your family, and your friends watch and listen to for entertainment --  from action movies to TV shows to video games and music lyrics.  How do the characters solve problems?  Do they make firearms and other violence appear exciting, funny, or glamourous?  Are the real-life consequences of violence for victims and families clear? 
• Monitor your children's activities, including music and clothing that send violent messages.
• Show children how to settle arguments or solve problems with out using words or actions that hurt others.  Set an example by the way you handle conflicts in the family and in the neighborhood. 
• Find out if your child's school teaches conflict resolution.
• Discourage name calling and teasing.  These can easily get out of hand, moving all too quickly from words to fists, knives, and even firearms. 
• Teach children that bullying is wrong and take your child's fears about bullies seriously.

Take Action in Your Community

• Be sure you know where and how to report potentially violent situations or concerns about conditions in the neighborhood that could lead to violence. 
• Ask your police department for help in identifying what to report, when, to whom and how.
• Encourage children to report any weapons they know or hear about in or near school to staff or the police.
• Learn your state and local laws on firearms.  Insist these laws be enforced vigorously but fairly. 
• Support police, prosecutors, judges, and other local officials who enforce laws designed to prevent gun violence.
• Start a discussion of neighborhood views on weapons in the home, children playing with toy weapons, children and violent entertainment, and how arguments should be settled.  A PTA meeting, an informal social gathering, or a Neighborhood Watch meeting could provice the opportunity.

Tips provided by the National Crime Prevention Council