Guns and Playdates {Guest Post}

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guns playdates providence moms blogI have one question I always ask before a playdate with new friends: “Are there guns in the home?” If the answer is “yes,” my follow up question is, “are the guns locked up?” Because the one time I didn’t ask my friend, she casually mentioned “my husband keeps a loaded gun in our nightstand,” and I was petrified. What if I went to the bathroom and my daughter followed me in and took a wrong turn? What if her daughter ran into her parents’ room and took it out? They were little kids; anything could have happened.

Let me say this: I’m not against guns. I’m against guns not being locked up and kept away from children’s hands. With everything that has happened in Sandy Hook, Orlando, Las Vegas, and now Texas, guns are in the news. We think it will never happen to us, that we live in a safe community, that we know our neighbors. However, there are still news stories every night about a sibling accidentally shooting their brother or sister because a parent left a gun loaded and it was easily accessible.

So now, before any new playdate, I ask. I would rather offend someone than risk something happening to my kids. I think this question should always be asked, even if your child isn’t a toddler and they are a teenager. It only takes a second for someone’s life to change and not for the better.  

So, next time you’re about to go on a playdate, ask the host if they have any guns in the house. It will bring you more peace of mind than you can imagine, especially if you consider the alternative.


Emily is a native Rhode Islander. She left a few times for political campaigns but always came back home. Settled down in Warwick, or as her husband loves to say, “Howes in the Burbs.”

Emily has two kids, Julia who is 3 and Samuel who will be 1 in November. Getting ice cream on a regular basis and never finishing her cup of coffee happen on a regular basis. Before having kids, Emily was a political consultant and worked as a lobbyist (the good kind) against smoking cigarettes.