COLUMBIA, S.C. — Monday marked the beginning of National SMART Week in South Carolina. It's a national program to educate the public on ways to prevent gun violence.
“This is a great day. This is our first SMART Week where we’re bringing the communities, a community-wide effort to educate the community on the importance of gun safety and how that can protect our children of gun violence," said Charlene Brown, a volunteer with Be SMART.
The City of Columbia's Office of Violent Crime Prevention held a press conference Monday to announce the initiative. Police officials, educational leaders and volunteers joined them.
“You heard them numbers, I don't want to be 28 (where SC ranks in gun violence) folks. I want us to be 50, I want us to be at the bottom of the line as far back as we can," Mayor Daniel Rickenmann said. "So, we know we can make progress and thank you Be SMART for what you continue to do and thanks to all our partners here.”
Each letter of the word "SMART" will represent a day of this week.
On Monday, the letter "S" stands for "Secure guns in your homes and vehicles." Be SMART organizers say on their website that gunowners should keep their guns unloaded, locked up, and separated from ammunition.
- M stands for Model responsible behavior around firearms
- A stands for Ask about the presence of unsecured firearms in other homes
- R stands for Recognize the role of firearms in suicide
- T stands for Tell your peers to be S-M-A-R-T
Firearms are the leading cause of death among American children and teens.
“It not only strikes me as a professional, it resonates with me as a person, as a family member because as my colleague just said, “when we lose a student it impact the entire school community," said Dr. Kim Moore, Richland Two Superintendent.