The end of August and beginning of September mark the start of the school year. Around the country, children, young adults, and teachers are returning to the rhythms of learning and play. As they do, adults have homework to do, and our churches have an opportunity to promote child safety in our communities by joining in Be SMART week 2025.

In 2020, firearms overtook car accidents and cancer to become the leading cause of death for children in the United States. It has remained the leading cause of child mortality since. The circumstances in which children are harmed or killed by firearms vary. Each year, hundreds of children in the United States gain access to loaded guns that are left unsecured in closets and nightstand drawers, in backpacks and purses, or just left out in the open. Tragically, naturally inquisitive children often pick up these unsecured guns and unintentionally shoot themselves or someone else.

Likewise, the rate of school shootings has rapidly increased in recent years, almost tripling since the turn of the century. In 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024, the US set new records for the number and lethality of school shootings. Improperly stored firearms are the most common way that school shooters gain access to guns.

In 2024, the PC(USA)’s General Assembly named the Be SMART for Kids campaign as a crucial partner in the work of “actively support[ing] and pray[ing] for the emotional, spiritual and mental health needs of children as they grow up in an era of school lockdowns, active shooter drills and near-daily news of gun violence.” This week, you are invited to join the PC(USA)’s official partner Be SMART in promoting child safety and secure gun storage during Be SMART week. Be SMART is a campaign to help promote secure gun storage, educate the country about the dangers caused by improper firearm storage, and normalize conversations with friends, family, and neighbors about their storage habits.

How can you get involved?

Educate yourself about secure gun storage and the PC(USA)’s partnership with Be SMART by getting to know our resources here.

Register and join us for the next Be SMART x PC(USA) secure storage training on September 18.

Plan a back-to-school backpack blessing at your church or community organization that distributes Be SMART flyers alongside school supplies.

Continue to join the PC(USA)’s Office of Public Witness’s advocacy work promoting common-sense gun laws that protect children and communities.

Pray for the children and educators in your community and across the country as they head back to school.