Our kids, always aware of more than we think, have likely picked up on the traumatic news and have hard questions. Seattle’s Child reached out to Kristen Ellingboe, communications manager at the Alliance for Gun Responsibility for insight on how to talk to our kids about gun violence and practical ways our community can prevent future shootings.
Question: When elementary school-aged kids ask questions about the recent mass shootings, how should parents respond?
A: Parents should have an honest conversation with their children about mass shootings. It is better to have an informed, supportive discussion in a safe place than to let children put the pieces together themselves based on what they are hearing secondhand. Parents should say that we have a problem with guns in our country, but that we are working to fix the problem and that nothing is more important than keeping kids safe. It is also important to remind children that mass shootings account for a very small fraction of gun deaths in our country. Children should never, ever touch guns and should immediately find a grownup if they find one or if another child tries to show them one.
Q: How can parents keep their kids safe? Should we be afraid?
A: We should be angry. Our children are needlessly put at risk because lawmakers refuse to act. We can keep our kids safe by ensuring they don’t have access to guns — that means securely storing any firearms in the home, asking questions about firearms at friends’ and family members’ homes, and talking to your children about the danger of firearms. We also keep our kids safe by electing gun-violence-prevention champions, demanding that our leaders take action, and supporting the organizations calling for an end to this epidemic.
Q: If you see someone post something online and worry that they might commit an act of violence, what should you do?
A: Reach out to them or to a family member or friend. Extreme Risk Protection Orders are a valuable tool that allow family members, household members and law enforcement to temporarily restrict access to firearms from people who pose a risk of harming themselves or others. In the 2019 session, the Washington Legislature passed a bill clarifying the law’s application to minors. More information about ERPOs can be found here.
Q: What gun-violence-prevention policies should Seattle parents be supporting?
A: In Washington state, parents should support evidence-based policies like restricting access to high-capacity magazines, which make mass shootings more deadly. Washingtonians should also advocate for strong policies we currently have in place in our state — like expanded background checks, Extreme Risk Protection Orders, and restrictions on semi-automatic assault rifles — at the federal level. UPDATE: Since this article was published in 2019, thanks to the courageous and hard work of gun safety advocates, our state Attorney General Bob Ferguson, and state legislators, Washington state does now have laws that ban high-capacity magazines and guns at public meetings.
Q: Why are firearms the second leading cause of fatal injury for children?
A: The simplest answer is easy access to firearms. Across the country, eight children a day are unintentionally killed or wounded by an unsecured firearm in their home. Securely storing firearms out of reach of children, can help prevent tragedies like unintentional shootings and firearm suicides.
For help with emotional distress and/or suicidal thoughts, call the Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746.
