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# U.S. Department of Education Issues New Resource for School Administrators on Importance of Safe Firearm Storage

# U.S. Department of Education Issues New Resource for School Administrators on Importance of Safe Firearm Storage

January 25, 2024

**Contact:  **press@ed.gov

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Safe storage  of firearms is an important prevention tool that can be used to help keep  schools, homes, and communities safe from gun violence. To build further  awareness of this important strategy, today the Readiness and Emergency  Management for Schools (REMS) Technical Assistance (TA) Center, funded by the  U.S. Department of Education (Department), is releasing a new resource that  schools can use to communicate with parents and families about the importance  of safe firearm storage, and encourage more people to take preventive action by  safely storing firearms. Additionally, First Lady Jill Biden, U.S. Education  Secretary Miguel Cardona, and White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention  Director Stef Feldman will hold a town hall with school principals today at the White House to elevate  the importance of safe firearms storage and emphasize the role that principals  and education leaders can play in helping prevent gun violence.

“Gun-related injuries and  deaths are a heartbreaking public health crisis, and it will take action from  all of us to better protect our children,” said Secretary Cardona. “We know  that keeping guns locked and securely stored is one of the most effective tools  we have for keeping kids safe and preventing senseless tragedies. The resources  released today by the Biden-Harris Administration will empower principals,  school officials, and families to better address the issue of safe firearm  storage in our communities as we continue to press Congress for greater action  on gun violence.”

Nearly 20 percent of childhood deaths are caused  by firearms, and many deaths can be prevented through safe storage of firearms. The resource released today to principals and district leaders can be  used to communicate with parents, families, and communities on the importance  of safe firearm storage. The resource is accompanied by a letter from Secretary Cardona encouraging principals to take  action. By increasing awareness around safe firearm storage, we can help to  reduce the risk that weapons get into the wrong hands and save families and  communities from what can tragically result when this happens.

While safe firearm storage is  an important factor in preventing death and injury from gun violence, direct and indirect exposure to guns can negatively  affect the mental health and well-being of students. The Biden-Harris  Administration, through the American Rescue Plan, the Bipartisan Safer  Communities Act (BSCA), and other grant programs, has provided unprecedented  funding to establish safe, healthy, and supportive learning opportunities and  environments; to increase access to school-based mental health services; and to  strengthen the pipeline of mental health professionals in high-need  communities. These historic investments provide greater access to the  preventative supports that help keep students safe and healthy. Building on  this foundation, earlier this month, the Department additionally announced $6.4  million in new Project Prevent awards to implement community- and  school-based strategies to prevent and mitigate the impacts of community  violence, and to address the impacts of exposure to community violence. These investments help advance the President’s  Mental Health Strategy, which directly implements his Unity Agenda priority to  tackle the mental health crisis in our school communities. In addition, funding  for mental health complements the Administration’s continued focus on  its Raise the Bar: Lead the World initiative.

Guidance on the importance of  proper firearm storage comes on the heels of the Centers for Medicare &  Medicaid Services (CMS) announcing approximately  $50 million in new grants, made possible by BSCA, for states to implement,  enhance, and expand the use of school-based health services through Medicaid.  The grants will provide up to $2.5 million each to as many as 20 states to  expand crucial access to mental health and physical health services at schools  under the Medicaid program. Secretary Cardona joined U.S. Health and Human  Services Secretary Xavier Becerra in issuing a letter this week to states  encouraging them to make use of this new funding to ensure that as many schools  as possible are providing mental and physical health services at schools and  extending the reach of these services to impact more children. The grants hold  promise for connecting millions more American children to critical health care  services, particularly for mental health.

The work on safe storage of  firearms is part of a broader Administration-wide effort led by the newly  established White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, which highlights the  importance of this key preventative strategy in communities across the country.  This work builds on crucial actions taken by the President and this  Administration in addressing the epidemic of gun violence through BSCA,  including funding to help ensure deadly weapons are kept out of the hands of  individuals a court has determined to be a significant danger to themselves or  others; enhanced background checks for buyers under 21; and new funding for  proven, community-based violence prevention initiatives.
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