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BELLEFONTE -- During this week's Centre County Commissioners meeting, individuals were in attendance to speak about a proclamation dedicated to the importance of gun violence prevention and safe and secure firearm storage initiatives in the county.
"The issues around gun violence prevention are really close to the mission of many of our county's departments in terms of human services -- keeping kids safe, helping those with mental health needs and awareness building. It's really critical," said Commissioner Amber Concepcion.
Erin Garthe, a volunteer with Be SMART, briefly introduced the "Be SMART" initiative.
"Be SMART" is a campaign promoting responsible gun ownership in order to reduce child gun deaths. They ensure that everyone has the knowledge to be "SMART" -- Secure all guns in the home, Model responsible behavior around guns, Ask about unsecured guns, Recognize the role of guns in suicide and Tell your peers to Be SMART.
"On behalf of all of our volunteers, I want to express a deep gratitude for passing this proclamation and recognizing the critical need for gun violence prevention," Garthe said.
According to Garthe, Everytown for Gun Safety -- a non-profit organization buckling down on ending gun violence -- keeps a database of unintentional shootings by children in the United States.
They analyzed over 2,800 incidents that took place between 2015-2022 in which a child under the age of 18 unintentionally shot themselves or others, and determined:
-- Nearly one child gains access to a loaded firearm and unintentionally shoots themself or someone else every day in America -- an average of 350 children a year.
-- The victims of shootings by children are most often also children.
-- More than 7 in 10 unintentional child shootings occur in or around homes.
-- Nearly one in every three unintentional shooters were preschoolers.
"These are preventable tragedies," said Garthe. "Be SMART emphasizes that it’s an adult's responsibility to keep kids from accessing guns, every adult can play a role in keeping kids and communities safer."
"My co-lead, Carrie, sits on a sub-committee of the Centre County suicide prevention task force called CASE -- Creating A Safe Environment. This committee represents safe firearm storage as part of reducing suicides," said Garthe.
In October 2022, the group put together "Lethal Means Safety" toolkits that included gun locks, educational materials the local county crisis phone number and the veterans crisis line number. It also included information on suicide rates from firearms within the Commonwealth.
A total of 700 gunlocks were provided to various locations in the county, including local law enforcement, senior centers, mental health agencies, gun stores and local VFW and American Legion posts.
Samantha Bruno, Area Director for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, weighed in on the importance of gun safety concerning mental health.
"AFSP endorses suicide prevention education as a basic tenant of firearm safety and responsible gun ownership. From practicing safe storage and the temporary removal of access to firearms when someone is at risk, to learning common risk factors and warning signs for suicide, there are simple actions we can all take to save lives," said Bruno.
Bruno also offered statistics on firearms in relation to suicide. In 2021, 55 percent of all suicide deaths in the U.S. were by a firearm, and of all firearm deaths 54 percent are suicide deaths. 90 percent of suicide attempts with a firearm are fatal. Research also shows that secure storage of guns reduces suicide risk.
Sheriff Bryan Sampsel briefly spoke as well about the impact the proclamation has and all of the work being done in the area.
"We've probably issued 120-140 locks in the last eight months. It's a program that helps. If we can help in any way, we're willing to do that. I'm here to raise awareness for Veterans suicide as well -- we lose 22 veterans a day," said Sampsel.
"Storing guns safely is just like storing prescription medications or household cleaning products... It's part of child-proofing your home. Every responsible gun owner needs to be aware of the safety considerations that you're responsible for," said Concepcion.
"I would encourage, if you have any quantity of firearms, to consider some sort of locked cabinet or safe. It does two things, it provides security for the little ones and at the same time secures (the firearms) against theft. Keeping guns out of the hands of criminals is just as important," said Commissioner Steven Dershem, "(We need to) not only keep our families safe but keep society safe from the misuse of stolen firearms."
Commissioner Mark Higgins echoed the importance of the statistics brought up by the speakers, "(We) very much appreciate what you're raising today."