251, John.

That is the number of young lives we could potentially save every year from gun suicides and unintentional shootings if guns were stored safely and securely.

And that is what SMART Week has been all about: Spreading awareness of how properly securing guns can help prevent more tragedies.

One of the most effective life-saving interventions for someone in crisis is disrupting their access to a gun. In the eight states with the strongest gun safety laws, firearm suicide rates decreased by four percent from 1999 to 2022.

Learn more about the life-saving interventions that can help prevent firearm suicide.

This SMART Week, more than a thousand volunteers in 43 states in over 500 Be SMART events nationwide helped us spread the message about securely storing guns in homes and cars.

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. Most gun deaths in the United States are by suicide.

Nearly 26,000 people die from gun suicide every year. Of gun deaths among children, about one-third are suicides. And almost 80 percent of these deaths involve a gun belonging to a family member.

If half of these households with one or more unlocked guns started locking their guns, over 30% of youth gun suicides and unintentional deaths could be prevented, saving around 251 lives in a single year.

While SMART Week may be over, we will continue to spread the Be SMART message and how secure storage can save lives. Throughout September, we will highlight the role guns play in suicides in our country and what we can do to help save lives.

Thank you for taking part in SMART Week and spreading our Be SMART message,

Be SMART Team