Recent Incidents
- 12/24/2008
- 12/21/2008
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Kristen's Blog -- Read What Our Executive Director is Writing About
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Quick Stats
Every week in Washington, 2 young people under the age of 24 die of gun violence. . .
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Upcoming Events
Washington CeaseFire will celebrate its 25th Anniversary in 2008 Find out where, how and when we'll be celebrating.
Ten Things You Can Do
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Firearm Safety
With so many firearms in our communities, it is critical that firearm owners are educated about the responsibilities of firearm ownership. Equally as important, we must educate the community at large about the importance of knowing whether or not there is a firearm at the homes where our children play.
Locked and properly stored firearms can prevent theft, unnecessary injuries, and death. However, many people in the United States choose to leave their firearms out, unlocked and loaded.
- According to a study published in Pediatrics, a journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, nearly 1.7 million children live in homes where firearms are left out unlocked and loaded.
- According to the Washington State Department of Health, 39,000 children live in homes where firearms are left out unlocked and loaded.
- According to the King County Department of Health, 19,000 households in King County keep their firearms out unlocked and loaded.
One way parents (whether a firearm owner or not) can help make sure their children are safe from unlocked and loaded firearms is to ask whether or not there is a firearm at the home(s) where their children play. If there are firearms at the house, just make sure they are properly stored and out of the reach of children before your child goes to the house to play.
Learn more about the importance of asking whether their is a firearm in the home at PAX USA's website. Pax USA created the ASK Campaign in 2000 as an effort to address the issue of gun violence amongst children in the same way public health officials had addressed tobacco and drunk driving. The ASK Campaign is designed to educate parents about "asking" -- how to approach asking and encourage other parents to do the same.
You can learn more about local efforts to promote the safe storage of firearms by visiting the Lok-it-Up Coalition website.
You may also have a CeaseFire representative come talk to your parent, PTSA or community group. You can contact us through the link above, or by using our "Contact Us" page.