This question can help save children from gun violence

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Saturday was ASK (Asking Saves Kids) Day. It's a day focused on preventing gun violence. The national nonprofit Brady United Against Gun Violence is behind the initiative.

The ASK campaign was launched on Mother’s Day 2000 at the Million Mom March. Brady United has since expanded the ASK campaign and efforts to spread awareness about the importance of safe gun storage through the End Family Fire program.

"Unfortunately, straw purchases are happening in the United States, in Columbus, where teens are getting guns from adults," said Erick Bellomy, Brady United Against Gun Violence state lead. "And the violence has to stop."

On ASK Day, parents and caregivers are being reminded to ask, 'is there an unlocked gun where my child plays?' ASK Day is held at the beginning of summer, marking a time when kids typically spend more time at the homes of friends and other family members.

"We've seen so many stories in Columbus where a child has gotten ahold of a gun and accidentally shot themselves or someone else and we want that to stop," Bellomy said.

Bellomy has worked with gun violence survivors around the country. It's a cause that hits close to home for him. 

"I lost my dad in 2017 to gun violence and then the Parkland shooting happened just a few months after that," Bellomy said. "I realized so many families feel the way that my family has felt."

According to Brady United, 4.6 million children in the United States live in homes with access to an unlocked or unsupervised gun. And eight children a day are killed or injured due to an unsecured gun in the home. 

"The number one death in the United States for children is gun violence," Bellomy said. "That's above cancer, that's above car accidents. We can take the proper steps now to curb that epidemic that we're seeing, especially in the last few years."

Bellomy said these tragedies are preventable. 

"In Columbus, we're seeing a rise in homicide with guns that are being left in cars," Bellomy said. 

According to Bellomy, it all comes down to proactively talking with your children, watching them closely and knowing who they're hanging out with. 

"We don't want to take guns away," Bellomy said. "We want to educate. We think that we can potentially save the lives of many children in the United States and Ohio and Columbus."

If you know someone that has an unsecured gun and doesn't have access to a lock box, Bellomy said local fire departments and the Columbus and Franklin County Department's of Public Health have free ones.

"You may think that this will never happen to my family," Bellomy said. "You know, you may not have guns in your home. You may not have ever touched a gun in your life, but your child may be leaving and going to another home, and they are very active in hunting. They're very active with firearms. And then, unfortunately, that could happen to your child."

Brady United has grassroots chapters nationwide including Columbus. To get involved, visit this link.