A person does not have to be a gun safety reform extremist to understand there are simply certain rules a person must follow in their own home (or for themselves, if they have carry permits) if they are to be responsible gun owners.

Sadly, it is all too common for us to read of tragedies that resulted from irresponsible gun ownership, and get a reminder to do the right thing.

On Monday, a 3-year-old boy in Columbus died after unintentionally shooting himself with a handgun that had allegedly been brought to the apartment where he and his mother lived.

WBNS reported the victim’s mother said she found a handgun on her bedroom floor before going to bed. It had reportedly been brought to the apartment by a man with whom she was sharing the bedroom. According to the police report, she put the gun between the mattress and the wall of the bedroom at around 3 a.m., but in the morning her son walked into the bedroom, found the gun and fatally shot himself.

She is facing a charge of involuntary manslaughter.

But before you think that the scenario just described is simply not one that would take place in your own home, improper storage and handling of a firearm can lead to tragedy anywhere.

There are many resources for learning about gun safety. Among them is the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center for Gun Violence Solutions.

“When not in use, firearms should be stored locked and unloaded, ammunition should be stored separately (preferably locked up), and key/lock combinations should be inaccessible to children, adolescents, and those at elevated risk of harm to self or others,” the center reminds us.

Pretty simple, right? Yet the guidance is ignored by too many. It’s our job to keep children safe. If you’ve got guns or other weapons in your home, do a quick assessment to determine whether you are doing all you can to possess them safely. Failure to do so is just not worth the risk.