Be SMART to keep kids safe, prevent unintentional child shootings, reduce suicide

Sally Rue & Rochelle Parker, Be SMART for Kids in Alaska

Guns are everyday tools for many Alaskans—they help us feed our families and communities, give us a sense of security, and are associated with outdoor recreational activities that many families enjoy together. 

Firearms are also associated with too many preventable tragedies in our families and communities, and guns are now the leading cause of death for Alaska’s children and teens. 

Not surprisingly, Alaskans have a high rate of gun ownership: In 2021, most Alaska adults (57%) kept firearms in or around their house. While the majority of gun owners store their guns securely, one in ten Alaskan adults lived in a home with an unlocked and loaded gun. Of those who have guns in the home AND have children under 18, 11% did NOT have their firearms stored properly (locked and unloaded).⁵

As school board members you can help save lives by increasing awareness in your communities about the importance of storing guns locked. At AASB’s 2023 conference, the membership adopted Resolution 5.36 Safe and Secure Storage of Firearms supporting education on secure gun storage through the Be SMART for Kids program. Some school districts have also adopted local resolutions supporting education about secure gun storage, and have distributed information to families and community members.

What is Be SMART? 

Be SMART for Kids educates people on the importance of secure firearm storage and increases public awareness and voluntary adherence to its principles:  

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

It is built around the belief that it’s always an adult responsibility to keep kids safe.

Alaska Be SMART volunteers encourage gun-owners not only to store their own firearms securely (locked, unloaded, and separate from ammunition), but we also share practical tips and information about how families can have the conversation with others to ensure that when their children visit other homes, they will be safe from accessible firearms. 

How we can support you

Alaska Be SMART volunteers can support your school district and community in sharing this life-saving information with families and community members. We also share Be SMART through partnering with medical offices, suicide prevention organizations, tribes, and other community groups.

Alaska Be SMART can provide resources for sharing Be SMART information, including posters, handouts, digital resources, research, and even free gun locks. Be SMART volunteers can also work with schools or districts and coach you through the process of sharing this information.

For information about how Alaska Be SMART volunteers can support your school and community in keeping kids safe, email us at: AlaskaBeSMARTforKids@nullgmail.com 

WHY sharing Be SMART is so important to the health and safety of our children, families, schools and communities:

UNINTENTIONAL CHILD SHOOTINGS – All of us who are gun owners should be storing all firearms securely when not in use. Children and teens gaining unauthorized access to loaded guns resulted in over 400 unintentional child shootings in the US in 2023. One-third of the shooters were preschoolers, and 90% of the victims were children. And while in Alaska the number of unintentional child shootings are small in number, they are devastating to our communities when they happen. Alaska had the 7^th highest rate of unintentional child shootings in the nation from 2015-2023.⁶ These are 100% preventable with secure storage.

SUICIDE – Storing guns securely will also reduce suicides. Alaska has the 2nd-highest rate of suicide in the nation,⁷ and the rate has risen by 49% from 2012-2021.⁸ Most suicides in Alaska are by firearm, and our gun suicide rate is more than double the national average. Acting on suicidal thoughts can often be a split moment decision, so preventing easy access to a loaded gun is critical. Some research has shown that delaying a person in crisis from accessing a loaded gun for as little as 10 minutes can change the outcome. The gun suicide rate for Alaska youth ages 15-19 is almost 5 times higher than the national average (23.06 per 100,000 population versus 5.10 per 100,000).⁹ In 2019, high school students in Alaska reported that nearly half (48.9%) could access a loaded gun, and one in four (25.3%) had seriously considered suicide in the past year.¹⁰

SCHOOL SAFETY – Securely storing firearms at home will also increase school safety by preventing unauthorized access to guns. In the 2022-2023 school year, there were 33 incidents in Alaska schools involving firearms resulting in student suspension or expulsion.¹¹ Most school shooters (76%) used firearms acquired from the homes of parents or close relatives.¹²

Sally Rue is a mom, grandmother, former Juneau school board member, former Director of AASB’s Alaska Initiative for Community Engagement, and an active volunteer with Be SMART for Kids in Alaska. She is also a gun owner who secures her guns and encourages her friends and family to do the same.

Rochelle Parker is the mother of three young children in the Anchorage School District and the Be SMART for Kids volunteer leader for Anchorage.

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