‘Summer opens more opportunities’ Safety advocates remind parents to Be SMART about guns

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As school wraps up, students are looking forward to more fun and freetime. With the additional downtime, it is important to make sure that they are safe, especially when it comes to firearms.

“Summer opens more opportunities,” Darrah said. “Kids are at home more often, and they have time to explore and to get into mischief.”

That is why Darrah, a BVSD parent, always reminds parents to Be SMART about gun storage.

SMART stands for:

• Secure all guns in your home and vehicles
• Model responsible behavior around guns
• Ask about the presence of unsecured guns in other homes
• Recognize the role of guns in suicide
• Tell your peers to be SMART

Firearms are now the leading cause of death of children in the country. Securing firearms is simple, inexpensive and can save a life.

This time of year Darrah says the “Ask” part of SMART is more important than ever. 

Parents often get to know the parents of their child’s friends before allowing them to play or stay at their home. She encourages parents to add two important questions: are there any firearms in the home and are they secure?

“There are more play dates, which means more time to hang out with friends and show them what they’ve found over break,” Darrah said.

She also suggests asking the questions to friends and family, before staying with them over vacation.

“We like to remind our parents that if you know you're going to go to your brother's house and you know he has a gun, talk to your brother about securing the gun,” Darrah said.

She says it is not a political issue – it is simply a safety measure to ensure your child’s safety. Whether you’re a gun owner, or you know someone who owns a gun, there is a role for everyone in the conversation around secure gun storage. You can help prevent kids from accessing firearms by storing them securely, and encouraging others to do the same.

Related Stories: BVSD parents touched by tragedy spread the word about secure firearm storage

New Colorado law requires school districts to carry safe storage information to families

A new law passed this legislative session should help to get out this important message to more families statewide.

“You know, it definitely validates the hard work that we've been doing for many years to get the word out about securing guns in the home,” Darrah said.

HB25-1250 Gun Violence Prevention & Parents of Students requires the Office of Gun Violence Prevention in the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to provide gun violence prevention materials for use by school districts, who then must share them on their website and directly to families at the beginning of each school year. 

Darrah helped advocate for the bill, sharing how the Boulder Valley School District regularly shared safe gun storage information with its families, following the passage of Resolution 21-12 in Support of Secure Storage by the BVSD Board of Education in March 2021.

The Office already has a website dedicated to preventing gun violence: letstalkgunscolorado.com and she hopes that they will integrate the parent-centered Be SMART messaging.

While the work of educating parents and the community about safe gun storage is not over, Darrah says that her focus is turning to another safety concern – driving safety, now that her teenager is learning how to drive. 

“My son just got his license, so that has become my new focus,” Darrah said with a laugh.