Dear PIVOT Voices,
To begin, Team ENOUGH wants to thank this organization for its unwavering dedication to giving young people a platform to use their voices. It’s by elevating youth voices that we can truly create change and better our communities. We’re grateful for the opportunity to share a cause close to our hearts.
In the United States, 4.6 million children live in homes with access to an unlocked or unsupervised gun. Every day, eight children and teens are unintentionally injured or killed due to family fire — a shooting that results from someone misusing an unsecured firearm in the home.
According to an analysis by Brady United, the nation’s oldest gun violence prevention organization, these tragedies increase during the summer when kids are out of school and spending more time at home and in the homes of others.
We are youth advocates with Team ENOUGH, a student-led program under Brady that mobilizes young people to take action and educate others on gun violence prevention. Through this work, we’ve seen firsthand how critical it is to raise awareness around safe firearm storage and use.
Incidents of family fire have an outsized impact on young people like us — but they are preventable.
On June 21, Brady’s Asking Saves Kids (ASK) Day encourages parents and caregivers to ask a potentially life-saving question: “Is there an unlocked gun where my child plays?” This question can be added to the list of others parents often ask — about screen time, allergies, or supervision.
It’s a simple question, but it could save lives.
In fact, if secure storage of firearms was practiced in just 20% more households with children, we could reduce one-third of youth deaths from firearm suicide and unintentional shootings. With guns now the number one killer of kids in America, that means countless lives saved. This isn’t about politics — it’s about protecting kids.
We urge families to have honest conversations about secure gun storage, and we encourage parents to ask about unsecured guns in any home their children visit. Raising awareness of these risks can save lives and prevent more families from experiencing tragedy. You can learn more at askingsaveskids.org.
Sincerely,
Cortez Washington & Layla Greten
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