John, anyone who has been around children knows they are curious.
They explore everything they can get their hands on—including guns.
As a pediatrician and a mom of three, I know what can happen when adults leave their guns where children can find them. The consequences can be deadly.
It's our responsibility to keep our kids safe. And with the school year now well underway, that means making sure they're safe both when they're home and when they spend time in the homes of others.
Learn more about how you can practice gun safety and encourage others to do the same. We need to #BeSMART for kids.
#BeSMART is our program at Everytown to reduce child gun deaths and injuries by promoting responsible gun ownership.
We encourage people to:
- Secure all firearms in your home and vehicles
- Model responsible behavior around firearms
- Ask about the presence of unsecured firearms in other homes
- Recognize the role of firearms in suicide
- Tell your peers to be SMART
I've been putting these steps into practice in my own life, and it's made a difference. I always ask about the presence of guns, and how they are stored, when my kids visit others' homes.
And don't worry: Even where I live in South Carolina, where many people own guns or know gun owners, that question is always well-received.
Because keeping our kids safe is not a partisan issue.
By following the steps to #BeSMART, we can help prevent multiple forms of gun violence, including unintentional shootings by children, firearm suicide, and school shootings—unsecured guns have been a key source of access to weapons for school shooters.
Together, we can save lives.
Learn more about how you can #BeSMART and encourage your friends and family to do the same.
Annie Andrews
She/Her/Hers
Everytown for Gun Safety
