Gun-toting brother-in-law wants to open-carry around kids

DEAR AMY » My brother-in-law and I don’t have a particularly good relationship, and one of the sticking points is gun ownership.

He believes in the right to carry (openly), and I think guns should be carried only by police.

Every time I ask him not to bring guns near our family (we have three young children), he gets unbelievably offended.

Is there a polite way to ask him to please leave his guns at home?

Among other things, this issue is causing our wives (the sisters) to be unable to spend time together.

Any suggestions? — Concerned Dad

DEAR DAD » Your first job is to try to protect your children, regardless of who might be offended by your effort.

It is a sad and very grim fact that the most likely victims of accidental shootings are children. Children between the ages of 3 and 5 are particularly vulnerable.

According to an investigation by the AP and USA Today Network in 2016 (which analyzed 1,000 children killed or injured through accidental shootings), every other day a young child in America is killed with a gun.

Several years ago, I profiled a dozen young gunshot fatalities (ranging in age from a few months old to 5 years old), interviewing their parents and siblings. Here is the first line from that story: “One thing you notice, as the stories unfold, is how the youngest victims of accidental shootings tend to be shot in the head — how natural it is, when you are a child and playing with a loaded gun, to point it at your friend’s face and go “boom.”

ALL parents should always check to see if another family has unsecured guns in the home before allowing children to visit. Educate your children explicitly about gun danger and gun safety.

I grew up with guns and hunting, and still live in a local culture where some kids (and parents) play hooky for the first day of hunting season. But all responsible gun owners use gun safes, and that is where they keep their deadly weapons — not slung on their hips.

If your brother-in-law refuses to relinquish his weapon, unless he controls his wife’s movements, there is no reason why these two (unarmed) women can’t get together.