I’ve Just Learned a Horrifying Detail About the Gun in My Neighbor’s House. Now I Need to Interrogate Every Parent.

by Michelle Herman

Our kid is now old enough to have playdates without my partner and me attending, which is great! The thing is, we’ve discovered that several of our neighbors, whom we assumed were anti-gun like us, have concealed carry permits. I have cousins with guns in the house and I am completely comfortable with our kid visiting them because I know they’re always properly secured and that my cousins treat them as what they are: deadly weapons and not toys. Most of our gun-owning neighbors, however, have never handled a gun until they purchased it. Several have never even shot at a range and honestly don’t understand how they work. We were shocked to hear from one family that they don’t have a gun safe and that they keep the gun in their bedside table because their 7-year-old “is responsible”! How do we approach parents without sounding prejudicial or grilling them? “Do you have guns in the house? If so, where are they and how are they secured?” We don’t want to pry, but kids are kids, and even “responsible” kids can make poor decisions. I never thought I’d have to ask people in this city about firearms and I’m floundering for a question that gets at the answers I want without blowing up a friendship for my kid.

—Where’s the Gun?

https://slate.com/advice/2024/08/neighbor-gun-safety-storage-parenting-advice.html