Wake County weighs plan to educate students' families on safe gun storage

The Wake school board wants to communicate information on safe gun storage several times a year to families.

The Wake County Board of Education met Tuesday afternoon for a work session to review a draft resolution focused on safe gun storage. Board members plan to vote March 19 to adopt the resolution.

The opening line of the resolution reads: "Evidence strongly suggests that secure firearm storage is an essential component to any effective strategy to keep schools and students safe.”

The resolution concludes with an action item that says the district would provide families with information and resources about the importance of secure gun storage and the legal consequences for not doing so. That could be in newsletters or by other methods.

On Tuesday, board members suggested information go out to families several times per year. Some board members floated four times per year or every other month.

Board Member Toshiba Rice recommended more often than that.

"It's a major issue in our country," Rice said. "We could have written a resolution about a whole lot of other things. If it’s this important, make it important."

The board will make other small changes to the resolution before voting on it, such as adding statistics and citations.

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 156 North Carolina children and teens die each year from gunfire, most in their own homes. Even more children are injured by gunfire. Often, it's the result of a child gaining access to a family member's firearm.

In the past year, at least three adults have been charged after a student brought a gun into a Wake County school:

Most recently, in December 2023, a 39-year-old man was charged with violation of the storage of firearms to protect minors after a 12-year-old brought a gun to Fuquay-Varina Middle School. The gun was fired inside the building and pierced a window. No one was injured.

In September 2023, charges were filed against a woman after a gun was brought to Lead Mine Elementary.

In February 2023, the mother of a Wendell Middle School was charged for storing a firearms in a manner making it accessible to a minor.

Parents should be reminded that safe gun storage is also important for other children who may be visiting their home, Board Member Lynn Edmonds said. They may teach their children how to properly use a gun, but their children might invite over friends who don't know.

Many youth shootings are accidental and occur in a home.

Many parents may also assume their children will handle guns properly but may not know everything going on with their children, including mental health struggles, Board Member Cheryl Caulfield.

Most suicide deaths occur by firearm, according to the CDC.

School system spokeswoman Lisa Luten said many parents of children involved in bringing a weapon to school are surprised.

"In debriefing with parents they often ... did not expect that their child would do this, until their child does do that," Luten said.

The state Department of Public Safety launched a campaign for safe gun storage called North Carolina Secure All Firearms Effectively, or N.C. SAFE.

When storing a gun, people should unload the firearm, lock it up and make sure the owner is the only one who can unlock it. They should never leave a gun unsecured in a car. For more storage tips, visit ncsafe.org.