Safety Begins at Home

The safest house is one with no guns, public health experts agree.

But if you must keep a weapon, here are some steps to reduce the chance that your child, or someone else's, will play with it -- or worse.

· Never keep a loaded gun around the house.

· Use a trigger lock.

· Lock the weapon in a gun safe. Store ammunition locked in a different location.

· Keep the key to the gun safe with you at all times, including while you are at work.

· If you use a combination lock, don't tell the combination to anyone other than your spouse.

· Do not assume your children can't find a gun hidden in a closet or out-of-the-way drawer, or atop a high shelf.

· Just because you've forbidden your child to touch a gun doesn't mean he or she will obey.

· If your child is going to play at a friend's house, ask other parents about guns just as you would about animals, allergies or other topics of concern. For suggestions on how to broach this subject, go to http://www.paxusa.org/ .

-- Sandra G. Boodman

Sources: Matthew Miller, Jon Vernick, American Academy of Pediatrics, Pax