New gun safety campaign
encourages people to ASK
BY PAUL COLLINS
, THE CHRONICLE ?
Before Aug. 20, 1998, Car
ole Price didn't know there was
, a simple question that might
have saved her son John's life:
"Is there a gun where my child
plays?"
Carole Price is the honorary
spokesperson for PAX's nation
al public health campaign called
ASK (Asking Saves Kids),
which urges parents to ask their
neighbors, friends and relatives
if there's a gun in the home
before sending their children
over to play. If a gun is present,
parents are encouraged to ask
how the gun is stored and make
.??informed decisions about their
children's playtime.
PAX, which is Latin for
"peace," is an organization
based in New York City. It is the
largest non-political organiza
tion dedicated to ending the gun
violence epidemic in America -
an epidemic that kills 10 chil
dren every day. mpre than 3,500
each year.
In an advertisement for the
ASK campaign, Carole Price
says, "Aug. 20, 1998. began as
an ordinary summer day. My
son John asked to go to our
neighbor's house. He'd been
playing there for years, so I said
yes. He tousled my hair as he
always did and said, 'Thanks.
Mom.'
"I watched him through the
dining room window as he
stopped just short of our neigh
bor's front door and blew me a
kiss, that was the last time I saw
him alive.
"John was 13 years old.
"Twenty minutes later the
police came to my front door.
They said my neighbor's 9-year
old child went to an upstairs
bedroom, opened a dresser
drawer and took out a handgun.
Playing with the gun, the child
pulled the trigger and John, who
was watching TV, was struck in
his face and died instantly.
"Astonishingly, I have since
learned that over 40 percent of
homes with children in America
have guns, and many of these
guns are left unlocked or
unloaded. And every year thou
sands of children are seriously
injured or killed with these guns
- like my beloved John.
"So, this summer, before
you send your child over to a
friend's house to play, please,
ask if there is a gun in that
home. If I had only known to
ask, my son might still be alive
today."
Before the end of school
? May 23, nearly every elemen
tary and middle school student
in the Winston-Salem/Forsyth
County School System will
bring home an ASK brochure
for his or her parents. Tbe
brochure provides tips to help
parents feel comfortable when
asking neighbors or relatives
about guns in the home.
Tips to make asking easier:
? Ask with other questions.
Include the question (is there a
gun in your home?) along with
other things you might normally
discuss before sending your
child to someone's house - such
as animals or allergies.
? Use the facts. More than 40
percent of homes with children
have a gun and many of those
guns are left unlocked or loaded.
That's why you're asking the
question: you just want to make
sure that your child is safe.
If your neighbor, friend or
relative says there is a gun in the
home, you need to make
Maxwell
absolutely sure that all guns are
stored unloaded and locked - '
ideally in a gun safe - with
ammunition locked separately.
Hiding guns is not enough.
There are countless tragic sto
ries of kids finding guns that
parents thought were well hid
den. If there are any doubts
about the safety of someone's
home, you should invite the
children to play at your house
instead.
? Work through groups.
Introduce the ASK concept
through a group or community
effort, such as your religious
organization or PTA.
? Don't be confrontational.
Present your concerns in a
respectful manner. You are sim
ply trying to make sure your
child is playing in a safe^nvi
ronment.
Tracy Maxwell, vice presi
dent of the Forsyth County
chapter of the Million Mom
March, which is implementing
the ASK campaign locally, said,
"Proper gun storage is especial
ly important in the summer
months when many children are
unsupervised for hours every
day....Ninety percent of acciden
tal shootings involving children
are linked to an easy-to-find,
loaded gun in the home ...It's
some adults who are irresponsi
ble about gun storage, but too
often it's the children who die."
Maxweli said, "When chil
dren find guns in the home and
bad things happen, it's almost
doubly tragic because it's unin
tentional usually. The injury is
unintentional whether it's to
another child or another persrti
in the home or to the child who
found the gun. So there's loss of
life or severe injury, and even
though it's an accident, it does
n't change the reality to the per
son who was injured or killed,
and that's what we're trying to
prevent."
Maxwell said, "Setting rules
about not touching guns is ... not
enough for children....The best
of children will break rules.
Every parent knows that. A gun
is very tempting in our society,
which is pretty much saturated
with media violence. Our socie
ty glorifies violence. We have
violence as entertainment in our
movies and our television. Pre
senting a child with an object of
violence such as a gun in the
home is just asking for trouble.
"Just way too many lives
(are) being lost - about one
North Carolina child a week. .."
Maxwell added. "Suicide is
a big part of loss of life when it
comes to guns in the home."
Maxwell said of the ASK
campaign: "Responsible gun
owners and nongun owners
(alike) should be able to
embrace this message of safety
and sensible storage (of guns in
the home)." She said. "There is
no need to be polarized in this
argument about rights and the
goods and the bads of owning
guns. Basically they're (guns
are) out there, and they're
already in the home."
Maxwell also pointed out
that ASK is a national advertis
ing campaign developed in col
laboration with the American
Academy of Pediatrics, a large
national organization concerned
with the health and welfare of
children. "It really is a health
issue in many aspects," she said.
PAX provides these other
statistics, from various sources:
More American homes have
guns (43 percent) than dogs (40
percent). One out of three hand
guns is kept loaded and
unlocked in the home. About 1.2
million elementary school-age
latch key children have access to
guns when they are home alone.
Eighty-eight percent of the chil
dren who are injured or killed in
unintentional shootings are shot
in their own homes or in the
homes of relatives or friends.
Some 2.6 million children live
in homes where firearms are
stored unlocked and loaded or
with ammunition nearby. More
than 75 percent of kids in homes
with guns know where the guns
are hidden.
The first annual National
ASK Day was held on Aug. 20,
2001. This year's National ASK
Day is scheduled for June 20.
Beauticians group
endorses Dan Blue
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
GREENSBORO - N.C.
State Beauticians & Cosmetolo
gists Association announced its
endorsement of Dan Blue at its
recent annual convention in
Greensboro. The association,
made up of more than 5.IXX)
members statewide, advocates
education and professional
development
"Dan is the candidate for all
working people. People that have
to work for a living need a voice
in Washington, and we believe
Dan is that voice," said NCBCA
President Morris Boswell. "Dan
realizes that a lot of families
struggle to make ends meet, and
we believe he will push for better
economic security."
Boswell also noted Blue's
record of support for health-care
and prescription-drug coverage
under Medicare, and public
schools.
"We appreciate Dan's com
mitment
-i to public
educa
tion,"
B o s w e 11
added.
The
associa
tion has
I com mi t
I ted to aid
^ing a
Blue grass
r roots
campaign by generating aware
ness in the members' salons
statewide.
"With hundreds of members
across the state serving thou
sands of clients weekly, we plan
to make Dan Blue our next Unit
ed States senator," he said.
Good Genes
? ^?; SHE
C, Photo courtesy of Morehouse College
Winston-Salem native Harold L. Martin Jr. made history at Morehouse
College's 1 18th commencement Sunday. Martin, a member of Phi Beta
Kappa who received a degree in business administration, became the
first Morehouse student to be the senior class president and the class
valedictorian. Martin was also the recipient of the 2001 B.R. Brazeal
Alumni Award, which is given to the student that best exemplifies the
qualities of the college. He has also devoted countless volunteer hours
to tutoring and mentoring young people. Martin co-founded the col
lege's Big Brother program. Martin is expected to start work as a busi
ness analyst at Atfanta's McKinsey & Co. He is the eldest son of Winston
Salem State University Chancellor Harold Martin Sr. and Forsyth County
Attorney Davida Martin.
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