Making self and family safer from violence is, for most of us, the highest priority. Work with your own children, with other children you care about, and with teens and adults you care about to reduce the risk that you or someone you love will fall victim to violence.

• Think long and hard about having weapons, especially firearms, in your home. Studies show that a firearm in the home is more than forty times as likely to hurt or kill a family member as to stop a crime. A gun in the home increases the likelihood of homicide three times and the likelihood of suicide five times. More than a quarter of a million firearms are stolen -- and possibly used in other crimes -- every year.
• If you do keep a firearm in your home,
  • Ensure that you are trained and that everyone else -- adult and child -- is fully trained in firearms safety. Refresh that training at least once a year.
  • Make certain that the weapon is safely stored -- unloaded, trigger-locked, and in a locked gun case or pistol box, with ammunition separately locked and with different keys for all locks. Store keys out of reach of children, in locations away from weapons and ammunition.
  • Check frequently to make sure that storage is secure. Follow all federal, state, and local laws about storage, registration, carrying, and use.
• Make sure that your children know what to do if they ever find a firearm -- stop, don't touch, get away, and tell a trusted adult. Help children practice what to do. Remind them and review the lessons occasionally.
• Teach your children ways to solve their problems without using force. Act as a role model for them. Handle disagreements with other adults, including those close to you, in nonviolent ways. You can learn more by checking with your library, a school counselor, pediatrician, mental health association, or neighborhood dispute resolution center. Discourage name-calling and reasoning. These can easily get out of hand, moving all too quickly from "just words" to fists, knives, and even firearms. Teach children that bullying is wrong; help them learn to say "no" to bullies and to get adult help with the situation if need be. Remember that words can hurt as much as a fist.
• Take a hard look at what you, your family, and your friends watch and listen to for entertainment -- from action movies to cop shows, from soap operas to situation comedies, from video games to music lyrics. What values are they teaching? Do they make violence appear exciting, humorous, or glamorous? How do characters solve problems? Are the real-life consequences of violence clear? Watch TV with your children; talk about how violence is handled in shows and what each of you did and didn't like. Set clear limits on viewing and provide active, positive alternatives for free time.
• Teach children basic strategies for personal safety to prevent violence and reduce their risk of victimization.
  • Help them learn and practice common courtesies. "Please," "thank you," "excuse me," and "I'm sorry" help ease tensions that can lead to violence.
  • Emphasize the importance of being drug free. Research shows use of alcohol and other drugs is closely linked with violence, including the use of guns and other weapons.
  • Encourage children to stick with friends who steer clear of violence and drugs. Make your home a comfortable place for these kids to gather; help them find positive, enjoyable things to do.
  • Remind children of simple, self-protection rules -- not to go anywhere with someone they (and you) don't know and trust; how and when to respond to phone calls and visitors if you are unavailable, how to deal with adults (or other children) who approach or touch them inappropriately, which are safe routes to favorite neighborhood destinations.
  • Rehearse what to do in urgent situations, like finding a weapon or being approached inappropriately by a stranger or seeing something wrong happen.
• Help your child to both learn and practice ways to keep arguments from becoming violent. Show kids how they can "chill out, talk it out, walk away, or get help from a grown up" for starters. Act out scenes with your children so you can both practice ways to settle disagreements without violence.
• Use news reports and everyday examples to help older children learn how violence affects the community and their own lives. Let them know that teens are more frequently victimized by crimes -- both violent crimes and property crimes -- than any other age group. Help them think about the costs of crime and the benefits of prevention.
• Encourage young people to tackle the problem. Urge them to find out:
  • how they can learn simple strategies to prevent crime against themselves and their friends;
  • how groups can settle disagreements without using fists or weapons; and
  • what drug-free, alcohol-free positive activities are available for teens and how these can be improved to attract even more young people.

Talking with children about violence

     No one wants to see children victimized by violence. No one wants to see kids hurt others. Talking with your kids can be a powerful anti-violence weapon, especially when combined with your actions as a positive role model.

     Make it clear that you do not approve of violence as a way to handle anger or solve problems. Do your best to match your actions to your words.

     Start early. Even very young children can learn not to hit, kick, or bite. Discipline without threatening violence. "Time outs," removal of privileges, restrictions, and similar penalties are successful, violence-free strategies that many parents have used, even with preschoolers.

     Use the world around. As children get older, help them learn to think about the real consequences of violent events and entertainment. Ask how else conflict might have been settled, what the angry person might have done instead, what unseen or unspoken consequences violence might have.

     Listen carefully, openly, and constructively. Letting children lay out their thoughts about violence helps them learn how to think through this and other issues.

Reprinted with permission from National Crime Prevention Council

Honoring children's trust

     Sometimes it's difficult for adults to know how to react when children approach them about a real or possible danger. You may be a neighbor, an aunt or uncle, or a grown-up who happens to be nearby. Suddenly a child comes to tell you something's wrong. How can you handle it helpfully?

     Listen carefully. The child may be excited, nervous, or scared. Repeat what you've heard to make sure you understand clearly. Kneel down if necessary to communicate at the child's height.

     Take it seriously. Children don't casually ask for help out of the blue. Even if it's not a serious problem to you, it probably is from the child's view.

     Act promptly. If the child has found a weapon or a possible weapon or describes some other immediate danger, go to the scene at once, if you're not putting yourself at risk.

     Get help if necessary. Call police if you find a weapon, even if it might be a toy. Call other professionals (such as fire department, child protection services, public works department) if the situation warrants. If it turns out to be a "false-alarm," reassure the child that telling a grown-up was a smart thing to do.

Reprinted with permission from National Crime Prevention Council

Reducing Guns and Other Violence in Schools

     Effective programs to reduce school violence and gun presence typically contain six key "success threads" among them:

(i) collaboration and continued involvement by key players (schools, parents, police, community groups).
(ii) multiple and varied strategies to "reach" students and bring program staff and students into constructive/teammate situations.
(iii) support of school or community officials to ensure access to equipment, classrooms, recreation areas, other resources.
(iv) program strategies that bring students together in peer-to-peer counseling and other activities.
(v) at least one program component that targets guns (reasons for usage, availability, danger).
(vi) targeted student audience, focusing on particularly troubled groups (suspended, expelled, arrested, learning disabled, etc.).

by the International Association of Chiefs of Police

Legislative

Lobby Congress to give the Consumer Product Safety Commission or the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms the authority to regulate safety aspects of firearms. Currently, there are no minimum safety requirements on domestic firearms manufacturers, nor does the Consumer Product Safety Commission or any other agency have the authority to regulate manufacturers.

Child Access Prevention Bill
     Mothers Against Violence in America is currently forming a coalition to support passage of this bill.

Handgun Safety Act
     This initiative would require that all handgun owners in the state be licensed and that a triggerlock accompany every handgun sold in the state. For more information or to join the coalition call Washington Ceasefire (206) 322-7564.

Resources:

Books
     "Who's Calling the Shots? How to Respond Effectively to Children's Fascination with War Play and War Toys" by Nancy Carlson-Paige and Diane Levin
     "Deadly Consequences: How Violence is Destroying Our Teenage Population and a Plan to Begin Solving the Problem" by Deborah Prothrow-Smith, M.D. with Michael Weissman
     "50 Things You Can Do About Guns" by James Murray
     "Talking With Your Child About a Troubled World" by Lynne S. Dumas
     "What Should I Tell the Kids? A Parent's Guide to Real Problems in the Real World" by Ava L. Siegler, Ph. D.
     "To Save a Child: Things You Can Do to Protect, Nurture & Teach Our Children" by Audrey Takington & Barbara A. Hill
     "On the Safe Side: Teach Your Child to be Safe, Strong, and Street-Smart" by Paula Statman

Books to Share With Your Children
     "The Butter Battle Book" by Dr. Seuss
     "Dana Doesn't Like Guns Anymore" by Carole W. Moore-Slater
     "Mister Billy's Guns" by Elmer & Berta Hoerner Hader
     "Moose" by Michael Forman
     "Why Did It Happen? Helping Children Cope in a Violent World" by Janice Cohn, D.S.W.

Curricula
     STAR Straight Talk About Risks, Center to Prevent Handgun Violence (202) 289-7319
     Kids Guns: A Deadly Equation, Dade County Public Schools, 1450 NE Second Ave., Miami, FL 33132
     Don't Risk Your Education: No Guns in School, New York City Board of Education, Publication Sales, 131 Livingston Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
     Options, Choices, Consequences, Seattle's Campaign Against Violence (206) 684-7929
     Get Real About Violence, Comprehensive Health Education Foundation (206) 824-2907 or 1-800-323-2433


Videos
     Learn Gun Safety With Eddie Eagle, National Rifle Association Safety & Education Division 1-800-231-0752
     Gunplay: The Last Day in the Life of Brian Darling, Bureau for Violence Prevention, 1-800-962-6662      Sweet Sorrow, Pyramid Film & Video, 1-800-421-2304 or FAX (213) 453-9083
     Don't Touch That Gun!, National Clearinghouse & Gang Commission, P.O. Box 1185, Edison, NJ 08818-1185