A Guide For Parents: UNDERSTANDING YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH AND PREVENTING UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO FIREARMS

As a parent, you can approach mental health care and suicide prevention in the same way you do other health and safety issues with your children. By educating yourself, you can learn what you can do in times of need to protect them. Checking in on your child’s mental health and asking the right questions— in the right way—is an important starting place.

Watch and read more by clicking here

 

Parents Talking with Their Kids About Gun Safety – NSSF & Project ChildSafe

“Can I touch the gun?”

“Can I play with a gun if it looks like a toy?”

“What do I do if I see a gun at my friend’s house?”

Even if kids aren’t asking about gun safety, that doesn’t mean they don’t have questions. Project ChildSafe has teamed up with Julie Golob, a veteran, competitive shooting sports champion, hunter and mom, to discuss the importance of gun safety education. She’s joined by a group of kids whose thoughts about firearms will help inform parents about the best way to start a conversation.

The result is an exclusive video — the first of its kind — to remind gun owners about the importance of having this conversation with their families. Join us in a discussion about what to say, how to say it and the key elements to think about when speaking to your family about firearm safety. Visit Project ChildSafe: http://www.projectchildsafe.org/

Watch and read more by clicking here

 

HUNT S.A.F.E

Hunting is a rich tradition, often passed down from family members to the next generation. The most important part of this experience is ensuring proper precautions and responsible use of firearms are used to help make every hunting trip safe, fun and memorable.

Watch and read more by clicking here

 

City Council Ratifies Ordinance Requiring Guns To Be Stored Safely

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

A trigger lock is displayed on a handgun at Discount Gun Mart, July 30, 2019.

PHOTO BY MATT HOFFMAN

Above: A trigger lock is displayed on a handgun at Discount Gun Mart, July 30, 2019.

The San Diego City Council on Tuesday formally approved an ordinance requiring gun owners to store their weapons in a locked container or disable them with a trigger lock when not in use or being worn on their person.

City Attorney Mara Elliott proposed the ordinance last month with the intention of reducing accidental shootings, children’s access to guns and suicides. Citing two studies, Elliott said 46% of gun owners in the U.S. who have children do not secure their guns and 73% of youngsters age 9 and under know where their parents keep their guns.

Since 2002, the state has mandated that all guns sold in California have an accompanying trigger lock approved by the state Department of Justice’s Bureau of Firearms. Elliott said the ordinance is a “common-sense approach” to building on current state requirements.

The council took a second vote on the ordinance, as required by the city charter, after tentatively approving it 6-2 earlier this month. City Councilman Mark Kersey, absent for the first vote, chose to join the technically nonpartisan council’s six Democrats in favor of adopting the ordinance, arguing that both sides of the debate had merit.

“I actually find trigger locks to be cumbersome and think that a safe next to your bed is far easier to deal with,” Kersey said. “That said, I’m also a parent and I’ve got a 13-year-old son. And I will tell your that 13- year-old boys, especially, will do dumb things … and I can tell you that it is also true that we need fewer kids having access to weapons.”

The measure’s supporters include gun control advocacy groups such as San Diegans for Gun Violence Prevention and Never Again California, as well as the San Diego Police Officers Association.

The proposal’s opponents, including the California Rifle and Pistol Association and the San Diego County Gun Owners political action committee, said it infringes on their Second Amendment rights, particularly for gun owners who do not have children living with them.

Under current state law, gun owners are required to keep firearms in a secure container or disabled with a device like a trigger lock only if they live with a person who cannot legally have a weapon under state or federal law.

Opponents also argued the ordinance is unenforceable and that locking a gun in a safe would make it difficult to access and use in a moment of self- defense.

According to Elliott, the San Diego Police Department will enforce the law by finding improperly stored guns in a home during a visit for another reason such as a domestic disturbance.

Elliott compared the proposal to the state’s 1986 law requiring drivers to wear a seatbelt; at that time, highway patrol officers could only cite drivers for not wearing a seatbelt during a traffic stop for another infraction.

City Council members Scott Sherman and Chris Cate voted against the ordinance Tuesday as they did the first time. The 7-2 vote means the council’s approval is not subject to a mayoral veto.

 

https://www.kpbs.org/news/2019/jul/30/city-council-ratifies-ordinance-requiring-guns-be-/