Is there an unlocked gun where your child plays?

It’s hard to believe that one-third of U.S. households with children contains a gun. And half of those households don’t lock up their guns.

So even if you don’t own a gun, chances are one of your neighbors does. That’s a scary thought, especially if you have children.

Guns in the home are 22 times more likely to be involved in accidental shootings, homicides, or suicide attempts. And each year almost 3,000 youth are killed by guns—the equivalent of 134 classrooms of 20 kids. Many of these deaths are preventable.

In New York: Both Good and Bad News

In New York State—thanks to some strong gun laws—gun ownership is lower than the national average, at 18%. But that’s still nearly one of five households.

New York—unlike 27 other states—has no law requiring the safe storage of guns to keep them out of the hands of children. Such laws—known as Child Access Prevention, or “CAP” laws—have proven effective in reducing child gun deaths.

When your child goes on a play date, you should of course ask the question, “Is there an unlocked gun where my child plays?”  And you should teach your child to never touch a gun, and to tell an adult if they find one. (Diane Sawyer’s recent 20/20 special, “Young Guns,” special showed how tempting it is for young children to pick up and play with a gun.)

But there’s more we need to do. We need a Child Access Prevention law for New York State.

That’s why New Yorkers Against Gun Violence is advocating for “Nicholas’s Law.” This law would require gun owners to lock up and safely store their guns away from children—unless that gun is in the owner’s immediate possession and control.

“Nicholas’s Law” is named for 12-year-old Nicholas Naumkin of Saratoga Springs, New York, who was accidentally shot and killed by a friend playing with his father’s gun.

If that gun had been locked up, Nicholas would now be 16.

Leah Gunn Barrett is the Executive Director of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence.

New Yorkers Against Gun Violence is holding a “Kids and Guns” community event this Monday, July 30, from 7 – 9 pm, at Congregation Beth Elohim in Park Slope. The event will feature stories and performances followed by a panel discussion with health and gun violence experts. For more information and to register for the event, log on to www.nyagv.org or call 212-679-2345.