Midlands schools hope promoting safe gun storage will keep firearms out of classrooms
Eight Midlands school districts, including Richland Districts 1 and 2, are partnering with a national advocacy group on a program to encourage proper firearm storage among parents.
Called Be SMART and offered by the parent-led gun-safety advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety that formed after the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary shooting in Connecticut, the program emphasizes secure gun storage. Specifically, the goal is to have any gun owner follow three steps to store their firearm: unload the weapon, lock it with a free firearm lock provided by law enforcement, and store it separate from the ammunition.
Advocates hope to accomplish this through a combination of public training sessions by law enforcement, letters from superintendents, the promotion of education materials, and a presence from Be SMART volunteers at a variety of school functions.
And adherence to the SMART principles: Secure all guns in your home and vehicle; Model responsible behavior; Ask about the presence of unsecured guns in other homes; Recognize the role of guns in suicide; Tell your peers to be “SMART.”
After a shooting at Townville Elementary in 2016 in Anderson County that killed a 6-year-old boy, a group of parents began volunteering with the program, and later brought the idea to Richland District 2 Superintendent Baron Davis, who then suggested the program to his colleagues in other districts.
“I’m very passionate about sending my kids to a safe environment,” said Merie Mirosavich, a parent volunteer with Be Smart. “But it’s also a community thing. I care as much about everyone else’s children as my own.”
The regional campaign comes amid a rash of school shootings nationwide. Locally, several students in recent weeks have been accused of bringing firearms to school.
In addition to Richland schools, Calhoun, Fairfield, Orangeburg and Sumter districts, as well as Lexington 3 and 4 have signed onto the agreement. Representatives from each unveiled the initiative at a press conference hosted by Richland District 2 Thursday morning, during which each entity signed a Memorandum of Understanding committing to the project.
“This should not be a controversial topic at all. We all have to take the necessary steps to ensure that our students are well. This should not be anything that divides us,” Davis said. “We send someone we love every day into a school.”
In the last five years, 170 children and teens have been treated for gunshot wounds at Prisma Health Richland Hospital, according to Prisma’s Columbia CEO, Robert Cofield.
South Carolina had the eighth-highest rate of injury and death from unintentional child shootings between 2015 and 2020, according to Everytown research. There were at least 12 unintentional shootings by children in South Carolina last year, according to the data.
“It’s interesting the picture that we have up here,” said Craig Witherspoon, Richland District 1 superintendent, pointing out representatives from education, health and law enforcement. “But … it also takes parents and community. Students get those guns from somewhere and bring those to school.”
Witherspoon said he is too frequently meeting with the chief of police and sheriff’s office about guns in schools, but he hopes this initiative will help reduce the occurrences of firearms showing up in Richland 1 schools.
The new partnership covers an estimated 110,000 students, and more districts are in the process of signing on, said Libby Roof, Richland School District 2 spokesperson.
Organizers say there is no cost associated, other than to print digital materials. Prisma Health, the Medical University of South Carolina and local law enforcement are providing free gun locks to anyone who wants one as well.
Be SMART is a national campaign with active programs in all 50 states, according to Everytown.
The organization also offers tips for how to ask other parents about how they store firearms in their homes and reminds parents “It’s not about the gun; it’s about whether it’s secured.”
The organization suggests guardians include questions about gun storage in general safety discussions they have with other parents. They also recommend parents be candid with others about whether they have firearms in the home and how they’re stored.
For more information on the Be SMART program, visit besmartforkids.org.
This story was originally published December 10, 2021 at 10:52 AM.
