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Focus on Non Profits
Be SMART is a public education campaign launched by Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund in 2015. The campaign's mission is to reduce child gun deaths and injuries by promoting responsible gun ownership and normalizing conversations around secure gun storage between adults. It provides education on secure gun storage and ways that you can keep children safe (whether you're a gun owner or not), and also highlights the correlation between access to firearms and suicide rates. In Vermont, more than 88% of gun deaths are suicides and the rate of overall gun deaths has increased 36% from 2012 to 2021 (cdc.gov). The Vermont Be SMART volunteers work to build awareness about gun violence prevention throughout the state by speaking with individuals at tabling events and partnering with schools, law enforcement, and other community groups to share resources.
The Be SMART model:
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
Tips for proper gun storage
Assume that a curious, impulsive or determined child or teen could find and handle an unsecured gun even if told not to
Store all guns unloaded, locked and separated from ammunition when not in use
Use a lockbox, gun safe or device with biometric authentication
Distribution sites for free gun locks in Addison County:
Bristol: Lawrence Memorial Library
Middlebury: Isley Public Library and Sheriff’s Office
Talking to your kids about guns
In the United States, 4.6 million children live in homes with guns that are not stored securely. It is always an adult’s responsibility to prevent unauthorized access to guns, not a curious child’s responsibility to avoid guns. It is important to talk to children about what to do if they find an unsecured gun. Be SMART offers some tips for having this conversation:
Don’t have the conversation only once. Talk to them frequently, just as you would about other crucial safety issues.
Make sure they understand that any situation where there’s an unsupervised gun is a dangerous situation Tell your children not to touch a gun even if it looks like a toy.
Keep the language simple. “If you see a gun, don’t touch it. Tell an adult right away.”
Vermont Chapter
The Be SMART volunteers are a small but mighty group who share the Be SMART message at events throughout Vermont. They are looking for more volunteers to help spread this life saving information. To join their work please contact: vermont@momschapterleaders.org.
Past Events
National Night Out in Essex, VT where Be SMART informed the community of secure gun storage. This event is conducted annually to strengthen community partnerships and increase participation in crime prevention efforts.
Vermont Suicide Prevention Symposium, where a Be SMART volunteer presented on the importance of secure storage practices and how they correlate to suicide by gun deaths.
Volunteers hosted informational tables to talk with individuals at these community events:
Vergennes Day in Vergennes, VT
Ferrisburgh Day in Ferrisburgh, VT
Shelburne Day in Shelburne, VT
Rocktoberfest in Morrisville, VT
