Ashlyn stresses that she is a gun owner and supports the 2nd amendment, but that child safety needs to go along with the right to bear arms. The absence of her son her on earth is a perfect example of that. The importance of ASK Day is underscored by the statistics. She says:
In America, one out of three homes with children has a gun, and nearly 1.7 million children live in a home with a loaded, unlocked gun. Every year thousands of kids are killed and injured as a result. The ASK Day (Asking Saves Kids) Campaign promotes a simple idea with the potential to help keep kids safe. It encourages parents to ask if there are unlocked guns in the homes where their children play.
When your child visits someone else’s home, please ask those parents if they have guns and if they are stored where children can get to them. Don’t worry about sounding insulting or overprotective. If I had asked, perhaps Noah would still be with us. Had those guns been stored with the safety of children in mind, I wouldn’t have to wake up to the reality of living in a world without my baby. Property can be replaced when stolen. Children whose lives are taken too early because of an unlocked gun cannot be replaced.
My own dad is a gun owner and I will never forget when I, as a curious child, found a gun in his underwear drawer when I was snooping around. I was little, maybe 5 or 6, but I remember clearly how UPSET he was when I told him I had found it. You better believe those were locked up tight after that. How lucky for all of us that it wasn’t loaded and that I didn’t try to shoot it. Even though I was a small child, I REMEMBER that so clearly…it was probably the most upset I ever saw my dad in my childhood. My parents were wonderful, responsible parents, really, the best a child can ask for. So if they can make that mistake, I am confident that ANYONE can.
Why Parents Should Ask About Guns
WATCH: She wants parents to ask a simple question, one that haunts her every day she’s lived without her son Noah, who went to a sleepover and never came home. http://on.today.com/2rBc4KL
National Ask Day is June 21.
Posted by TODAY Parents on Thursday, June 21, 2018
I hope you will join me on ASK Day, and every day in asking the parents of your kids friends if they own guns and if so, whether or not they are locked up tight and out of reach of other children.
If you’re not comfortable asking so bluntly, lead the conversation by talking about your own home, saying something like, “I just wanted you to know before Nathan comes over to play today, that we do own a gun but that it is locked in a gun safe. How about you guys?” or “I just wanted you to know before Nathan comes over to play today that there are no guns in our home. Do you all have any, and if so, are yours in a gun safe?” I encourage you to do this not just today on ASK Day, but anytime your child makes a new friend and is headed to their home for the first time, even if it’s just for a birthday party. It may seem awkward, but with our children’s lives on the line, a little awkward is really worth the risk.
I hope you’ll watch the video above of Ashlyn telling Noah’s story and her reason for being a spokesmom for ASK Day. She hopes to honor her son’s life by saving others with one simple questions.
