"So can we talk about your guns?"

You've watched pundits and politicos debate the issue. Maybe you've joined in the hashtag chorus, whether #NotOneMore or #ProGun. But in order to truly save lives, the conversation has to get intimate. "We need to start talking about gun safety in our relationships — now," says Rob Valente, vice president of policy for the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

Nearly one-third of all U.S. households had at least one gun in 2014. And those weapons are three times as likely to be owned by a man than a woman, according to a 2013 Pew Research Center report. Does the person you're dating own a firearm? Have you ever talked about gun safety?

For Jessica, a 26-year-old in Sheridan, Illinois, shooting is a shared interest with her fiancé. "We talk about guns openly," she says. "I know that he's responsible." But some women don't even know where to start the conversation. Emily, a 21-year-old college student in Baltimore, says that "most younger people have similar views on issues like sex and birth control so those are generally less controversial topics. But a lot of people my age have different views on guns, so it's something that I'd be less likely to talk about openly."

http://www.cosmopolitan.com/politics/a52999/guns-and-relationships/