Firearms remain the leading cause of injury and death for children.

An average of 13 children die from guns every day.

With that in mind, Main Line Health is joining the nation’s largest regional collaboration of health systems to kick off a year-long public service campaign on child gun safety, encouraging a community approach to protect children from unlocked guns.

According to Brady United Against Gun Violence, nearly 5 million children live in homes with unlocked or unsupervised guns, and last year, there were at least 377 unintentional shootings by children, resulting in 145 deaths.

The collaboration for the “It Doesn’t Kill to Ask” campaign involves 59 hospitals in Philadelphia, Southeastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Southern New Jersey.

The campaign encourages caregivers, parents, and community members to speak up about safe gun storage in homes where children are present. 

HospitalsTogether.com is the name and website for the coalition’s multimedia child gun safety campaign.

The website provides tips on how to have a conversation with other parents and families about safely stored firearms and encourages making this conversation as normal as asking about pets or food allergies before a playdate.

In tandem with the Hospitals Together.com website, the campaign uses broadcast, print and digital public service educational messages, highlighting that access to unlocked guns may lead to death, suicide and violence, making it more likely children will die from guns than cancer or automobile accidents.

Given the importance of the gun safety public service message across the region, these hospitals and health systems are united in facing this crisis together.

Health systems in the collaborative include Main Line Health, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, ChristianaCare, Jefferson Health, Nemours Children’s Health, Penn Medicine, Prime Healthcare, Redeemer Health, St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, Temple Health, Tower Health, Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic and Virtua Health.

 Read more about the new campaign and the work of the Hospitals Together coalition at Main Line Health.