Home News SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS SIGN MOU ENCOURAGING RESPONSIBLE GUN OWNERSHIP

SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS SIGN MOU ENCOURAGING RESPONSIBLE GUN OWNERSHIP

12/6/2021

Eight school districts came together today to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Be SMART Program to encourage responsible gun ownership. Collectively, the school districts want gun owners to take action to keep their firearms out of the hands of young people.

The Be SMART program, developed by Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, helps parents and other adults normalize conversations about gun safety and take responsible actions that can prevent child gun deaths and injuries. Superintendents from Calhoun County Public Schools, Fairfield County School District, Lexington School District 3, Lexington School District 4, Orangeburg County School District, Richland County School District One, Richland School District Two and Sumter School District signed the MOU. Local law enforcement, Prisma Health Columbia and Prisma Health Tuomey in Sumter and Medical University of South Carolina Health-Midlands also penned their support.

The parties agree to several things in the MOU, including but not limited to working together to share the Be SMART message to parents and adults in our community and requiring staff to learn about the Be SMART program annually. Law enforcement agencies agreed to provide firearm safety and storage presentations and gun locks, as available, to gun owners in the community and to key personnel at schools for distribution to those who want or need to secure their firearms. Each trauma center/healthcare facility agreed to provide Be SMART educational materials, as funding is available, for their patients, the community and distribution at schools and other community organizations. Both the healthcare and law enforcement partners will also provide training sessions and expert speakers as needed.

According to statistics in the MOU obtained from the National Threat Assessment Center, in incidents of gun violence on school grounds in America, 75 percent of active shooters were current or former students, and 73–80 percent of shooters under the age of 18 obtained the gun(s) they used from their home or the homes of relatives or friends.

Richland Two Superintendent Dr. Baron R. Davis said the subject of responsible gun ownership should not be something that divides the community. “We have to make sure the children are well and we need our community’s help to ensure that guns do not make their way into our schools. The responsibility rests with everyone, particularly owners of firearms,” said Dr. Davis. Watch a clip of Superintendent Dr. Davis's remarks here.

The signing event took place at the Richland Two Institute of Innovation (R2i2) Conference Center located at 763 Fashion Drive, Columbia, SC 29229 and it can be viewed on the Richland Two website at http://www.richland2.org/live. Visit the Be SMART MOU Signing Flickr album to see photos.