In the spring of 2023, our Plainwell Community Schools Board of Education passed a resolution supporting safe gun storage practices for our community. That resolution states that PCS will annually provide all parents with information and resources regarding safe gun storage and the impact the practices have on schools and the community. We continue to strive to provide a safe learning environment for all students and staff, and we greatly appreciate your ongoing support with these efforts.
Studies of school-based gun violence point to the same significant point for intervention: addressing students’ unauthorized access to guns in the home. One recent study of targeted school violence incidents from 2008 to 2017 found that 76% of the firearms were obtained from the home of a parent or close relative.
What’s more, unsecured guns in the home pose a risk to students outside school. Firearms are now the leading cause of death among children in the U.S. Every year, nearly 350 children under the age of 18 unintentionally shoot themselves or someone else. Distressingly, almost 40% of child gun deaths are suicides—nearly 700 child gun suicides annually (pre-pandemic). In most incidents, the gun used was one that belonged to someone in the student’s home. One study found that 87% of kids know where their parents' guns are kept, and 60% have handled them. Research shows that secure firearm storage practices are associated with up to an 85% reduction in the risk of self-inflicted and unintentional firearm injuries among children and teens. Storing firearms securely protects any child in your home as well as students throughout the school district and community.
You can learn more, including a secure storage fact sheet, talking to your children about guns, and facts and resources on child firearm suicide, at BeSMARTforKids.org. For additional resources, you can also visit https://5il.co/20yke.