With the backing of local police officers, the Wake County school system is sending a message to parents that they need to keep their guns locked away from their children.

The Wake school board unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday directing staff to provide families with information about the legal consequences to parents when a child gains access to an improperly stored firearm. Wake will regularly provide information on how to safely store firearms.

In addition, Wake has created a new website at wcpss.net/safestorage with gun safety information.

The goal is to avoid incidents such as the mass shooting in Raleigh’s Hedingham neighborhood after a teen suspect allegedly got access to their parent’s firearms.

“If this resolution and our commitment to educating parents and the community about safe gun storage prevents one act of violence or one act of accidental harm, it’s worth all our time and energy,” said school board member Lynn Edmonds.

The vote came after multiple law enforcement officers came to Tuesday’s board meeting to show their support for the resolution.

“We all know that secure weapons help us move a step closer to saving lives and ending gun violence,” said Wake County Sheriff Willie Rowe.

Wake students using parents’ guns

Under state law, a student who brings a firearm to school is required to be suspended for 365 days. The person who allowed the student access to the firearm could also face criminal charges.

There have been several incidents in the past two years where Wake students have brought guns to schools, including:

▪ In December 2022, a man was charged after a student brought a gun to Fuquay-Varina Middle School. A teacher disarmed the student after he hired the gun inside the classroom.

▪ In February 2023, a woman was charged after a student brought a gun to Wendell Middle School.

▪ In September 2023, a woman was charged after a student brought a gun to Lead Mine Elementary School in Raleigh. School board chair Chris Heagarty said the parent claimed the student was bringing the gun for show and tell.

In addition, a Knightdale High School student will stand trial on charges of killing five people in the Hedingham neighborhood in Raleigh in October 2022. The student’s father was charged with one misdemeanor count of storing a firearm in a manner accessible to a minor.

“So many of these tragedies could have been prevented we know by restricting a child’s access to firearms,” Heagarty said. “They have to be getting these guns from somewhere and everything we can do on the front end to prevent that and stop that is a tragedy averted.”

Statewide, there were 199 reported acts of possession of a firearm or powerful explosive last school year. That’s a 24% increase from the prior year and a 60% increase since the 2018-19 school year.

The Wake County school system reported 18 acts of possession of a firearm last school year.

In June, Gov. Roy Cooper launched the NC Secure All Firearms Effectively initiative to focus on educating North Carolina communities about secure gun storage in cars and houses, The News & Observer previously reported. The $2.5 million NC SAFE Initiative is an effort to curb gun deaths among children and firearm thefts in North Carolina.

Secure gun storage can save lives

According to Wake’s resolution:

▪ An estimated 4.6 million American children live in a household with at least one loaded and unlocked firearm

▪ Every year, an average of 350 children under the age of 18 unintentionally shoot themselves or someone else.

▪ Another 1,200 children and teens die by gun suicide each year, most often using guns belonging to a family member.

▪ Up to 76% of shooters aged 12-18 obtained their guns from their own home, a relative’s home, or from friends.

▪ Secure firearm storage practices are associated with up to a 32% reduction in the risk of self-inflicted and unintentional firearm deaths among children and teens.

At the urging of board member Toshiba Rice, a sentence was removed from the resolution that said over 90% of active shooters have displayed mental health symptoms. Rice said she was concerned that the wording could stigmatize people who have mental health issues.

Raleigh Deputy Police Chief Rico Boyce said that safe storage of guns is “non-negotiable.

“Gun safety is not just about laws and regulations,” Boyce said. “It’s about awareness and responsibility. It’s about ensuring every individual who owns a firearm understands the gravity of ownership and is fully prepared to secure it with the utmost care.”

What exactly are the laws for minors possessing guns in North Carolina?