The Y Partners with Be Smart to Promote Gun Safety
The YMCA of Northern Colorado & Southern Wyoming is partnering with Be SMART to share gun safety education with our members and families.
The Be SMART campaign was launched in 2015 to raise awareness that secure gun storage—storing guns unloaded, locked and separate from ammunition—can save children’s lives. Through Be SMART, we are spreading the word that it’s an adult responsibility to keep kids from accessing guns. Whether you’re a gun owner, or you know someone who owns a gun, every adult can play a role in keeping kids and communities safer.
The following statistics illustrate why secure gun storage is vital:
• Firearms are now the leading cause of death among children in the United States.
• 4.6 million children in America live in homes with guns that are both loaded and unlocked.
• 360 children 17 and under gain access to a firearm and unintentionally shoot themselves or someone else — sometimes fatally — each year.
• 31% of all gun deaths among children and teens are suicides and 63% are homicides.
• Three-quarters of school shooters acquired their firearm from the home of a parent or a close relative.
• In Colorado, guns are also the leading cause of death among children and teens. In Colorado, an average of 84 children and teens die by guns every year, of which 48% of these deaths are suicides and 47% are homicides.
Be SMART guidance focuses on five simple, easy-to-remember actions using the SMART acronym:
Secure all guns in your home and vehicles: Securing your guns may save a life. Be sure to follow best practices for gun storage to ensure all guns are stored unloaded and secured in a safe place that is inaccessible to children and ask your neighbors and friends to do the same.
Model responsible behaviors for gun ownership: Adults are responsible for making sure children are safe and understand the danger a weapon may pose. Set an example for your friends and family members.
Ask about the presence of unsecured guns in other homes: Ask about unsecured guns in the homes that your children visit. Don’t be afraid to ask if any weapons in the home are responsibly stored.
Recognize the role of guns in suicides: Recognize the role that guns play in suicide. More than 40% of child gun-related deaths are from suicide. Make sure that any child at risk of self-harm does not have access to guns in your home.
Tell as many people as you can to Be SMART. With more than 3,963 children killed by guns every year, we simply cannot afford to be silent. Start a conversation about gun safety today.
The Y and Be SMART encourage parents and caretakers to help spread the Be SMART message by talking to your friends and family about this important topic.
For more information or to schedule a Be SMART presentation for your group, please contact your local Be SMART chapter at [email protected] or [email protected]. You can also find additional resources and information online at BeSMARTforkids.org, by texting SMART to 644-33 or by following Be SMART on Facebook (BeSMARTforKids.org) or X (@Everytown).