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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I'm your typical liberal urbanite traveling back home for the holidays with my two young kids and staying amongst relatives who have guns. Each year I send a reminder for them to secure their weapons. Each year I'm met with eye rolls and smirks "it's taken care of" but an unwillingness to discuss how their guns have been secured. Are they unloaded? Are they locked or just placed on a high shelf? Etc? And they almost seem offended that I would question them. But there smirking and eye rolls and lack of transparency doesn't inspire confidence that they take securing them seriously.

I've continued to visit, and just watch my kids extra closely, and won't leave the kids alone with these relatives. We've discussed with them what to do in case they come across a gun.

I understand there is a culture around owning guns, and inadmittingly hate it. But I also get the second amendment is what it is and people have their rights and accept that. But the vagueness and cagey behavior I don't get. Is is too much to ask to be able to have frank discussions? I assume there is some best practices for keeping kids safe, and is it wrong to assume a responsible gun owner would be able to talk about them?

What am I missing?

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I usually get smirky emoticons over text/email. Then follow up in person to get the confirmation that they double checked. Which, am glad I did because my had actually meant to "take care of it" but in fact had not when we arrived. She was all huffy, but when into another room and did it.

I just read this again -- how do you know you're met with eyerolls and smirks? You indicated you "send" a reminder -- I presume by e-mail? Do then continue to persist to interrogate them when you arrive?[/quote][/quote]

book-recommending pp here. IMO that's a good sign OP. To me it says that they know the rules and know they should be following them, but are sloppy because hey, it is work, or maybe your mom is getting forgetful or whatever. Sounds like it really is a combination of the two gun culture factors I mentioned. You can work with this.

If I were you I would:
--not do this conversation over email ever again. Just stop that whole thing where you ask them in writing and they brush you off. It's not doing anyone any good.
--Make first contact on the issue in person. Within 10 minutes to an hour of your arrival, when the kids are out of earshot, bring it up. "Guns unloaded and locked up, right?"  They may roll their eyes but, within the safety gun culture, this one-time forgetfulness of your mom's earns you the right to ALWAYS ASK THIS, EVERY TRIP, FOREVERMORE. When other relatives throw shade say "Hey! You know I asked one year and mom hadn't. So don't give me shit. It's a reasonable question and you know it."  If you can do it jokingly and your family speaks sarcasm, you could even say "It's not like I'm asking you to register with the government, I'm asking you to take the bullets out of your lethal weapons and not give them to my kids to play with."

honestly, take it from me, I was 100% antigun then fell in love with a guy who had some, so I have walked this path. Learn a bit about the gun culture. Your credibility will SKYROCKET with your family. You will be more comfortable and on firmer ground with what you are asking them to do. And your kids will be safer. 
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