Dear Eric: My nephew has three teens living at home; I gave him money to help with family summer activities. He used the money to buy guns for his kids, including an AR-style rifle, which breaks my heart.
As best I can tell, the guns are only minimally secured.
The parents are professionals, and they otherwise take good care of their kids, but they are heavily into the allure of a gun culture. I am very concerned because one of his kids has significant mental health issues and has been hospitalized. They have had dark fantasies and sometimes post pictures with their face painted to look like blood dripping. I am beside myself with worry that a bad stretch of mental health stress could lead to something devastating. I do not live in the same state. Is there someone I should alert?
– Concerned Relative
Dear Relative: If you have knowledge of a specific threat, you need to contact the local authorities and your nephew. It’s not clear from your letter if the dark fantasies fall into that category, so please exercise judgment and caution.
If your concern is mostly related to the child’s mental health, you should make sure your nephew is aware of the posts. It’s not a crime to have mental health struggles; you’ll want to avoid treating it as such. Prioritize ensuring that the child is in a safe environment.
I know it’s hard to reconcile the presence of the rifles in the home with your otherwise positive impression of your nephew’s parenting, but getting into a debate won’t serve anyone right now. It’s also not a crime to be a responsible gun owner. The keyword is responsible. Express your concerns and ask specific questions about the storage of the guns.
Per the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, “even modest increases in the number of American homes safely storing guns could prevent almost a third of youth gun deaths due to suicide and unintentional firearm injury.” Many states have Child Access Protection laws, which establish guidelines for storing unattended guns, particularly in homes with minors. You can visit Giffords.org to find out if the state your nephew lives in has one and talk it through with him.
(Send questions to R. Eric Thomas at eric@askingeric.com or P.O. Box 22474, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Follow him on Instagram and sign up for his weekly newsletter at rericthomas.com.)
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