Kathleen Anderson

Yeah, sure. Thank you so much, Dr. Kutke. So the Be Smart program was launched in 2015 to promote responsible gun ownership in order to reduce child gun deaths. We, as Dr. Kutke mentioned, a lot of attention is paid to mass shootings, school shootings. but the reality is that the majority of gun deaths are happening in the home. And so many of those are preventable.

Yeah, sure. Thank you so much, Dr. Kutke. So the Be Smart program was launched in 2015 to promote responsible gun ownership in order to reduce child gun deaths. We, as Dr. Kutke mentioned, a lot of attention is paid to mass shootings, school shootings. but the reality is that the majority of gun deaths are happening in the home. And so many of those are preventable.

When children get a hold of a gun, they often go off and one in four times they are fatal. And we know that with the the gun ownership rates that we have across the country, if people are not securing them storely, children across the country are at risk, and they're at risk of bringing those guns into schools, to play dates, and endangering others in the process.

When children get a hold of a gun, they often go off and one in four times they are fatal. And we know that with the the gun ownership rates that we have across the country, if people are not securing them storely, children across the country are at risk, and they're at risk of bringing those guns into schools, to play dates, and endangering others in the process.

And so our message is very simple. In order to reduce gun violence across our country, if you have a gun in the home, storing it securely, by which we mean unloaded with the ammunition stored separately, and that if you don't have a gun in the home, asking about guns in the homes that your children visit.

And so our message is very simple. In order to reduce gun violence across our country, if you have a gun in the home, storing it securely, by which we mean unloaded with the ammunition stored separately, and that if you don't have a gun in the home, asking about guns in the homes that your children visit.

And so whether that's grandparents, aunts and uncles, babysitters in the early childhood years, play date, you know, neighbor's houses for play dates, and then certainly in the teen years as well. And just having that a part of your normal check-in when you're, when you're preparing for a play date.

And so whether that's grandparents, aunts and uncles, babysitters in the early childhood years, play date, you know, neighbor's houses for play dates, and then certainly in the teen years as well. And just having that a part of your normal check-in when you're, when you're preparing for a play date.

Well, and another thing, Dr. Stan, I think parents as, as their children are starting to go over to other people's houses that aren't family members where you, you, you, you can't, I don't think anyone should be assuming whether or not there's a gun in the home, but I think we tend to with family.

Well, and another thing, Dr. Stan, I think parents as, as their children are starting to go over to other people's houses that aren't family members where you, you, you, you can't, I don't think anyone should be assuming whether or not there's a gun in the home, but I think we tend to with family.

But it is natural and common now to ask questions about, you know, if there was going to be any transportation, you would ask about an age-appropriate, weight-appropriate car seat or be, you know, you're doing that dance of, oh, do you need to borrow my booster? You know, we have safety conversations already. We talk about pets, allergens.

But it is natural and common now to ask questions about, you know, if there was going to be any transportation, you would ask about an age-appropriate, weight-appropriate car seat or be, you know, you're doing that dance of, oh, do you need to borrow my booster? You know, we have safety conversations already. We talk about pets, allergens.

We should be talking about screen time and internet access. I know I don't want my children going over to a house where kids are on YouTube for hours, right? So modern parents are kind of getting in the habit of asking these questions and it not necessarily being awkward, but just sort of a part of the getting to know you, getting to know whether I trust you to be over, my child over in your space.

We should be talking about screen time and internet access. I know I don't want my children going over to a house where kids are on YouTube for hours, right? So modern parents are kind of getting in the habit of asking these questions and it not necessarily being awkward, but just sort of a part of the getting to know you, getting to know whether I trust you to be over, my child over in your space.

And we don't get defensive about you know, about whether I have a dog, right? Like that's not, that's not a safe, that's, that's, that's, that's not something to get defensive about. And part of what we're trying to normalize is that asking about a gun shouldn't be a taboo. It's not a political question. It's a safety question.

And we don't get defensive about you know, about whether I have a dog, right? Like that's not, that's not a safe, that's, that's, that's, that's not something to get defensive about. And part of what we're trying to normalize is that asking about a gun shouldn't be a taboo. It's not a political question. It's a safety question.

And we actually got this feedback from our healthcare providers that not even focusing on whether there's a gun in the house, but actually phrasing the question in If you have guns in the house, how are they secured? So I'm not asking you necessarily like, are you a gun owner? Are you not a gun owner? I'm just saying, hey, if you are a gun owner, how do you secure your guns?

And we actually got this feedback from our healthcare providers that not even focusing on whether there's a gun in the house, but actually phrasing the question in If you have guns in the house, how are they secured? So I'm not asking you necessarily like, are you a gun owner? Are you not a gun owner? I'm just saying, hey, if you are a gun owner, how do you secure your guns?

And in our experience, most gun owners are responsible gun owners. They're very proud, especially if they've got kids in the home. They're eager to talk about the lengths they go through to keep their kids safe. And it's a point of pride for them. And that's something that we really want to celebrate in these conversations is that

And in our experience, most gun owners are responsible gun owners. They're very proud, especially if they've got kids in the home. They're eager to talk about the lengths they go through to keep their kids safe. And it's a point of pride for them. And that's something that we really want to celebrate in these conversations is that