• "At our last doctor's appointment, my pediatrician asked me about gun storage. And I haven't stopped thinking about it since."
• "I feel really weird asking this, and maybe you'll think I'm totally neurotic, but..."
• "I want you to know that I've spoken to my kids about not playing with guns. Is this an issue that you've thought about?"
• "All of us in the PTA (or in our church group or some such) have committed to making sure our children are safe. So I've gotten in the habit of asking everyone..."
• "My child is so curious and gets into everything. I worry what would happen if he came across a gun."
• "Did you see that newspaper article about the boy who found his father's hidden gun?"
• "I had no idea until recently that about 35 percent of households with children have a gun. So I've started asking other parents before Henry plays at their home."

'It's not a judgment on you, but I have a very active little boy who's really curious and into everything. I just don't feel comfortable with him playing in a place where there are guns. Let's set up a playdate at my place.'"

‘I’m very worried about mentioning this, because I don’t want to be divisive, but as a mother, my instincts run deeper. And so I really do need to ask if you have any firearms in your home.’”

And my fear of offending someone? “You could say, ‘I really look forward to a friendship with you, and my child is looking forward to a friendship with you that’s ongoing — it’s just this is something very important to me, and something I want to address early on.’”