The Be SMART campaign was created to bring together all responsible adults to reduce suicides and the number of unintentional shootings that occur when children get a hold of an unsecured firearm.
Sign up today to get involved in your community and one of our volunteers will be in touch!
A partnership between Be SMART (a program of Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund) and the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives
in the US live in a home with at least one unlocked and loaded firearm.
An estimated 54 percent of gun owners don’t lock all of their guns securely.
Every year, 350 children under the age of 18 unintentionally shoot themselves or someone else.
Guns are the number one killer of Black children in the US.
Black children in the US are three times more likely to die by guns than their white peers.
Black children in the US are three times more likely to die by unintentional shootings than their white peers.
Black children in the US are 11 times more likely to die by gun homicide than their white peers.
The gun suicide rate among Black children in the US increased 158 percent from 2011 to 2020.
An estimated 24 percent of Black adults in the US own a gun.
Gun owners can make their homes and communities safer by storing their guns securely when not in the owner’s immediate possession. This means storing them unloaded, locked, and when possible, separate from ammunition. Securing firearms protects children and adults by preventing unintentional shootings, gun suicides and all tragedies that can result when a child or teen accesses an unsecured gun.
Storage devices defeat the purpose of owning a gun by putting barriers between the gun owner and their means of defense.
There are many affordable options for firearm storage that provide owners with quick access to their guns while still preventing access by children and people at increased risk of harming themselves or others. Further, it is possible that unsecured guns may actually increase the likelihood of crime and violence through an increased risk of gun theft. Each year, an estimated 200,000 to 500,000 guns are stolen from homes and cars. Many of these guns are funneled into the underground market, where once-legally-owned firearms can be transferred to people with dangerous histories.
can be reached by calling or texting 988, or chatting on 988lifeline.org
Trevor Lifeline: +1 (866) 488-7386
Text “HOME” to 741-741 from anywhere in the United States, anytime, about any type of crisis
Call 1-800-852-8336 or text TEEN to 839863 from 6PM – 9PM PT
There are thousands of Be SMART volunteers in your communities and neighborhoods that are delivering the Be SMART message across the country in all 50 states. Sign up to contact your local Be SMART program today!
Since 1976, The National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) has served as the conscience of law enforcement by being committed to justice by action.
