Happy 2026 Listeners!

To give you my perspective on the plan I have in store for you as we work through the first half of 2026, over the coming weeks I plan to give you podcast episodes that challenge you as individuals, families, workplaces and school environments to effectively research, plan, implement, rehearse and execute different live-saving crises challenges.

I will share with you challenges for both you and I to negotiate that require specific written plans regarding matters such as mass shootings in the workplace and schools, housefires, trespassing situations, daytime/nighttime abductions, severe inclement weather situations & evacuations, starvation situations and firearms safety. I want you to be as creative as you can be when you take on the different challenges. Keep in mind that I want you to conduct the necessary research first, initiate a written plan, implement the plan it by sharing it with your families or others, conduct several timed rehearsals but ensure everyone involved knows his/her role in the challenge and grade the challenges upon completion so that everyone involved knows how things went.

These are not challenges that I expect you to suddenly tackle and immediately complete them one after the other, but rather challenges that I want you to research, write and conduct in a convenient and timely manner so that you have documented life-saving resources in place for you, your families, your homes, your workplaces, your children's schools and to share with others!

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Guns kept in our homes or residences continue to wind up in the hands of children far too often, leading to unintentional, violet situations that result in our kids or someone else's kids losing their lives because we fail to ensure firearms are properly stored away children. Whether you hear about it, read about it, see it on television or witness it, the reality of the matter is that adults have the responsibility of protecting children from situations that can leave families changed forever!

From personal research, take for instance the year 2015-2021- there were 713 child deaths in the U.S. from unintentional gun injuries, the majority (85%) of which occurred in a house or apartment. Of those in a home setting, 56% happened in the victim's own home, enough said!

Additional Firearms Deaths and Key Safety Information:

Specific Breakdown by Intent (Ages 0-17)

• Unintentional Deaths: From January 2015 to December 2021, the #NotAnAccident Index recorded 926 total deaths from unintentional shootings by children (which includes the child shooting themselves or someone else, who may be an adult). The majority of these incidents (71%) occur in or around the home. From 2015 to 2024, there were at least 1,382 people killed in total from unintentional shootings by children.
• Homicides: In-home firearm homicides of children and teenagers more than doubled between 2010 and 2021 in some studies. In data from 2020-2021, about 24% of all child/adolescent firearm homicides occurred at home, but for children aged 12 and younger, this figure rose to nearly two-thirds (63%).
• Suicides: Data on the exact location of all youth firearm suicides is not as specific as the location data for unintentional deaths. However, suicides by firearm among children and adolescents have increased over the past decade. In 2023, 29% of child and adolescent firearm deaths were suicides.

Firearm Storage and Security Measures

• Store firearms unloaded: Always ensure guns are completely unloaded, with any rounds in the chamber removed, before putting them into storage.
• Use a secure locking device: Store firearms in a high-quality gun safe, locked cabinet, or lockbox that uses a key, combination, or biometric lock. Hiding a gun is not sufficient.
• Store ammunition separately and securely: Ammunition should be kept in a separate locked location from the firearms.
• Keep keys/combinations inaccessible: Ensure keys or lock combinations for both firearms and ammunition storage are kept in a secure place that children, teens, and unauthorized individuals cannot access or guess.
• Utilize secondary locking mechanisms: Use a trigger lock or cable lock on the unloaded firearm as an additional safety precaution, even when it is inside a safe or lockbox.
• Avoid leaving guns unattended: A firearm should be on your person and under your immediate control at all times when not in secure storage.

Firearm Education and Communication

• Educate all household members: Discuss the risks of firearms and proper safety rules with all members of the household, especially children.
• Teach children safety rules: Instruct children that if they ever find a gun, they should Stop, Do not touch, Leave the area, and Tell an adult right away.
• Model responsible behavior: Always handle firearms safely and responsibly and use correct handling procedures, such as keeping your finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire.
• Have "the talk" with other parents: Before your children visit other homes for playdates or sleepovers, ask the host parents if there are unsecured guns in their house.

Fi

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Whether here in the United States or around the World, people suffer or perish from starvation daily. It should be a subject that should be unapplicable to all of us but it is not the case and most likely never will be. However, so many of us are blessed to have never been in this position but we do not do enough to fight this issue. I, for one, have never been in the position of starvation but there have been many times that I have said to others, "man, I'm starving like crazy!" I obviously know that this is not the real truth for me and never has been. I only say it because I simply am used to always having food to eat. I'm certain that I am not the only person who says this. What is your take?

To do our parts in the feeding plan to fight starvation challenge, I ask for you to please, this week, or as soon as you can, go into your pantries, cupboards, basements, storage sheds or grocery stores and pull out or purchase, at minimum, $50-$100 worth of non-perishable foods and donate it to your local food banks, shelters, directly to a family or to an individual in need! To make it even more spirited, get your families, friends, neighbors, coworkers, etc., involved and try to make it a yearly event, whether you do quarterly, semi-annual or annual. Just think about, and go for it because I assure you that you will be blessed in your giving!

Additional Information:

Types of Non-perishable Foods

• Canned foods: Fruits, vegetables, beans, and protein like tuna or chicken.
• Dried goods: Rice, pasta, oats, dried beans, and lentils.
• Packaged foods: Granola, cereals, and crackers.
• Jarred goods: Nut and seed butters, honey, and jams.
• Shelf-stable liquids: Cooking oil, shelf-stable milk, and some juices.
• Other examples: Jerky, powdered eggs, and certain hard liquors.

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