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California Moms Demand Action, Everytown Applaud Passage of Resolution to Require Los Angeles Public Schools to Send Information Home About Responsible Firearms Storage

6.18.2019

Today, Moms Demand Action Volunteers Delivered a Petition to the LAUSD Signed By Nearly 2,400 Los Angeles Residents in Support of the Resolution

Responsible Firearm Storage Can Result in Fewer Unintentional Shootings and Firearm Suicides Among American Youth

LOS ANGELES – The California chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, part of Everytown for Gun Safety, today applauded the Los Angeles Unified School District for voting to approve a resolution to require information be sent home with students to educate parents on their responsibility under the law to responsibly store firearms they own. Parents or guardians would need to sign and return the letter acknowledging they have read the information.

With over 700,000 students, the Los Angeles Unified School District is the largest school district in the nation to require that responsible firearm storage information be sent home with students.

“We are so grateful for the strides the Los Angeles Unified School District made towards gun violence prevention today,” said Jessica Stamen, a volunteer with the California chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. “It’s clear that responsible gun storage can save lives in California, but only if gun owners are aware of California’s storage laws and the risks of irresponsible storage. We are proud to stand with community advocates like Women Against Gun Violence in support of this resolution, which will go a long way towards protecting our children and communities from gun violence.”

The California chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America supported the effort by gathering nearly 2,400 signatures of Los Angeles County residents on a petition in support of the resolution. Volunteers presented the petition to the LAUSD school board ahead of the vote today.

In the majority of school gun violence incidents involving a shooter under the age of 18, the shooter obtained the gun from home, their relative’s home or from friends. Additionally, nearly 600 American children die by firearm suicide each year and over 100 children and teens are unintentionally shot and killed. This data suggests that responsible storage can be an effective tool in addressing gun violence among children and teens, as well as the source of guns used in school gun violence.

In fact, a study released last month estimated that if more adults in households with children and teens responsibly stored their guns, it could result in fewer firearm deaths from suicides and unintentional shootings among American youth. The authors of this study estimated that if half of households with children switched from leaving their guns unlocked to responsibly storing them all locked, one third of youth gun suicides and unintentional deaths could be prevented – saving an estimated 251 lives in a single year.