Area Opportunities to BeSMART

Over the last week, I've had the opportunity to attend a training session and presentation by a local group spreading information on kids and gun safety via the BeSMART campaign. Here's a quick summary of what that is from the campaign's website:

Each year in the United States, nearly 260 children under the age of 18 gain access to a firearm and unintentionally shoot themselves or someone else. Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America launched the Be SMART campaign to advocate for responsible gun ownership and reduce child gun deaths. Moms Demand Action volunteers encourage parents and caretakers — gun owners and non gun owners alike — to “Be SMART” and take these five simple steps to help prevent shootings by children:

• S - Secure all guns in homes and vehicles.
• M - Model responsible behavior.
• A - Ask about unsecured guns in other homes.
• R - Recognize the role of guns in suicide.
• T - Tell your peers to Be SMART.

The target audience for their presentations is essentially any group or organization with parents, whether they own guns or not, who want to learn more about preventing unnecessary child deaths with guns. The presentation I attended, for example, was at a PTA meeting at a local Champaign middle school. There are opportunities locally to have a presentation for your local organization and also future training opportunities for those interested in being a presenter.

The information isn't partisan or ideological on gun ownership one way or the other. It can be helpful whether one has strong views on the subject or none at all. The dialogue about safe storage can range from concerns about kids handling firearms without parental knowledge to accessibility in case of an emergency. It may highlight access issues or scenarios to think about, such as suicide risk with family or their friends and guests in your home. From the BeSMART online resources:

Gun violence has a devastating impact on American children. Nearly 40 percent of child gun deaths are suicides — almost 600 child gun suicides each year. One study showed that over 80 percent of children under the age of 18 who died by gun suicide used a gun belonging to a parent or relative. For people of all ages, access to a gun increases the risk of death by suicide by three times.

A national survey of high school students found that 17 percent had seriously considered attempting suicide within the last year. And one study showed that 41 percent of adolescents in gun-owning households report having “easy access” to the guns in their home...

Research shows that responsible firearm storage is associated with a decreased risk of child firearm suicide.

One study showed that households that locked both firearms and ammunition had a 78 percent lower risk of self-inflicted firearm injuries among children and teenagers.

The issue of asking other parents if there are any unsecured guns in the home can be difficult for some parents and a normal habit for others. The presentation allows parents to talk about their concerns and experiences here in a downstate college town that has folks and often family members all over the spectrum on gun views.

In a free country, we'll probably never all completely agree on gun issues, but all of us want our kids to be safe. This program helps parents know more on how to keep them safe and talk to other parents about their concerns.

For more information on presentations or on becoming a presenter you can e-mail the local group at cubesmart01@gmail.com for more information.