Dear Tri-Town Community Members,
We are writing today to share important resources regarding safe firearm storage as part of Gun Violence Awareness Month (June). All members of our communities and schools deserve to feel safe. It is on all of us to work together to prevent firearm violence and to avoid the harm and tragedy that shootings of any kind can cause in the spaces in which we live, learn, work and play.
Firearm-related injuries and deaths are recognized by the U.S. Education Secretary as a public health crisis. The resources we have shared below complement information presented recently by U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, who hosted a Town Hall with school principals at the White House in January. Secretary Cardona urged principals to promote safe and responsible firearm storage at home and cited important research about firearms access, school violence, and prevention of firearms-related deaths among children.
When firearms are stored safely, it can help prevent them from getting into the hands of children and teens who may use them to intentionally or unintentionally harm themselves or others. If you have firearms in your home or if your child spends time in a space where firearms are present, important steps can be taken to keep firearms secured and out of reach of unintended users.
Wrentham Police Chief Bill McGrath, Norfolk Police Chief Timothy Heinz, and Plainville Police Chief James Floyd would like to share the following firearm storage safety tips:
- Make sure young people in your home are aware of and understand the safety guidelines concerning firearms. Have them sign the Project ChildSafe Child’s Pledge — a reminder that if they find an unattended firearm in their home or a neighbor’s to not touch it and tell an adult
- Store your firearms in a locked cabinet, safe, gun vault or storage case when not in use, ensuring they are in a location that is inaccessible to children and cannot be handled by anyone without your permission
- Store ammunition in a locked location separate from firearms
- Use a gun-locking device that renders the firearm inoperable when not in use. A gun lock should be used as an additional safety precaution and not as a substitute for secure storage
- Firearms should be unloaded when not in use. Whenever you pick up a gun, such as when removing it from or returning it to storage, remember to point it in a safe direction and make sure it is unloaded. A “safe direction” means that the gun is pointed so that even if an accidental discharge occurred, it would not result in injury
We encourage you to educate everyone in your family about firearm safety. Please visit projectchildsafe.org where you can find guidance on talking with kids about gun safety, as well as additional information on firearms storage and where you can get a free firearm safety kit locally.
We want all students, faculty, staff, and those who visit our schools to feel safe, welcomed, and included. We remain committed to helping ensure the safety of our school community and promoting awareness about how we can protect our children and prevent tragedies.
Regards,
King Philip Regional School District Superintendent Rich Drolet
Wrentham Police Chief Bill McGrath
Wrentham School Superintendent Allan Cameron
Plainville Police Chief James Floyd
Plainville School Superintendent Jennifer Parson
Norfolk Police Chief Timothy Heinz
Norfolk School Superintendent Ingrid Allardi
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