The Be SMART Initiative: Educating Communities on Safe Gun Practices

Johanna Thomas,Jennifer Chappell-Deckert,Shaun Thomas

doi:10.33790/jphip1100150

Abstract

Gun violence is a growing public health crisis in America. Approximately 1,500 children per year die from gun violence in the United States. Approximately 800 children are shot and killed, another 600 die by gun suicide and 100 shoot themselves or someone else because of improperly stored firearms [1-3]. This manuscript highlights the need for social workers and allied health professionals to play a key role in preventing intentional and unintentional child shootings by educating clients and communities about safe gun practices. This manuscript describes the “Be SMART for Kids” program, a strengths-based, empowerment model with a nonconfrontational approach to talking about guns and gun safety. Practical information for implementing the Be SMART model by incorporating it into everyday conversations, public health practices, education and policy are also described.

Highlights

There is an abundance of evidence to suggest a serious and immediate need for effective strategies to reduce all forms of gun violence, including mass shootings, “urban gun violence”, suicide, and unintentional child shootings
Feedback from individuals who have learned about gun safety through Be SMART indicates they recognizethe importance of asking about the presence of guns in other people’s homes, have talked to family members about guns in homes and vehicles, recognizethe risk associated with firearms and gun suicide and spread that message, and gun owners are modeling responsible behavior as a direct result of Be SMART [19]
Future research should assess how social workers are implementing the program in practice, whether the personal beliefs and comfort of social workers influences the effectiveness of the program, and whether and how the program may be influencing beliefs about and comfort with firearms, where and how individuals store their weapons, when and how people ask about firearms, and eventually, whether the program is associated with a reduction in gun violence

Summary

Introduction

There is an abundance of evidence to suggest a serious and immediate need for effective strategies to reduce all forms of gun violence, including mass shootings, “urban gun violence”, suicide, and unintentional child shootings. A 13-year-old from Brewster, New York who was a friendly and popular 8th-grader came home from school one day in January of 2013 and took one of his father'sunlocked, loaded guns and shot himself This young man’s family does not believe he planned todie that day but easy access to a loaded gun and an impulsive decision led to a fatal tragedy [14]. There are approximately 670,000 full time sworn law enforcement officers in the U.S [17] Based on both their ubiquity and expertise, it is imperative that social work professionals take the lead on educating individuals, families, agencies, and communities on the dangers of unsecured firearmsso as to stymie the epidemic of gun injuries and deaths among American youth [18]. We provide an overview of the implications for practice, education, and policy

Review of the Literature

Findings

Conclusion