Southfield School District Passes Secure Storage Resolution Following Advocacy by Moms Demand Action Volunteers

Southfield is Fourth School District in Michigan to Pass a Secure Storage Resolution in the Wake of the Shooting at Oxford High School

Thanks to the Advocacy of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action Volunteers Across the Country, More Than 2 Million Students Now Live in School Districts that Distribute Secure Storage Educational Information to Parents

The Michigan chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots networks, released the following statement applauding the Southfield Board of Education for passing a resolution to distribute secure storage information to parents across the school district. Southfield is the fourth school district in the state to pass a secure storage resolution after the shooting last year at Oxford High School that left four students killed and seven others wounded. The Bloomfield Hills, Birmingham, and Royal Oak school districts have also passed secure storage resolutions over the past months. 

“We are grateful to the Southfield School Board for heeding the call to educate families about the importance of securely storing firearms in their homes,” said Susan Yeghissian, a volunteer with the Michigan chapter of Moms Demand Action. “The tragedy that happened at Oxford High School was preventable and should never happen again. Secure storage saves live – it is a critical tool to prevent not only school shootings, but unintentional shootings and youth suicides. We will continue pushing until all Michigan students live in school districts that inform gun owners about the importance of secure firearm storage.”

More than 2 million students across the country now live in a school district that requires schools to educate parents about the critical importance of secure firearm storage in keeping schools and students safe — including the distribution of Be SMART educational materials — thanks to the tireless advocacy of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action volunteers.

The Be SMART program, developed by the Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund and Moms Demand Action, helps parents and other adults normalize conversations about gun safety and take responsible actions that can prevent child gun deaths and injuries, youth suicides, unintentional shootings and gunfire on school grounds. 

The program encourages parents and adults to: 

• Secure all guns in their 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

For more information on the Be SMART program and how to safely secure your firearms, visit the Be SMART website. Additional information about unintentional shootings by children can be found here and information about gunfire on school grounds can be found here.