Before my daughters were born, I took their newly installed car seats in to a local precinct to have my work checked by a police officer. That was the guideline given by my doctors, and I was happy to have the guidelines, as well as a professional to check in with. Was it onerous? Maybe a little, but not in relationship to my children’s lives.

That same impulse compels me to support L.D. 759, and to support safe storage of firearms. Like a car seat law, it only comes into play if there’s already cause for concern — no one has ever come to my house to check my kids’ car seats, and no one will randomly inspect gun owners’ homes under this provision, either. But providing clear guidelines — and extra tools for prosecutors — benefits us all.

I hope that our elected representatives pass L.D. 759, and join a majority of U.S. states with some version of a child access prevention law.

Melanie Weiss

Waterville