Safe firearm storage saves lives. Pa. must allocate dollars for public education.

Recently, guns became the No. 1 killer of children in America. But that’s long been the case in Pennsylvania, where guns have been the leading cause of death for kids for years. Although mass shootings frequently headline the news, most child gun deaths are independent incidents, whether homicide, suicide, or unintentional. Behind these statistics are brothers, daughters, friends — and families like mine.

In April 2012, my niece Emily was living at home in Valencia, Pa., and finishing her sophomore year of college. She had spent three days cramming for finals and was supposed to take her last one, in anatomy, one Friday morning. Her parents had no idea how desperate she must have been feeling when they wished her good luck that day. When my sister returned home from work, she was heartbroken to find Emily’s lifeless body.

Emily had found her dad’s handgun and taken her own life.

My sister and brother-in-law — Emily’s parents — would do anything to turn back the clock and change the way they stored their firearm. The gun was secured in a locked case, but it was stored with its ammunition. Once Emily found the keys, she could access both.

More than 10 years after Emily’s death, my family is still fighting to make Pennsylvania a safe place to grow up. Our story is far too common. More than three out of five gun deaths in our state in 2019 were by suicide, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Right now, Pennsylvania has an opportunity to invest federal dollars in proven measures to protect kids like my niece.

Pennsylvania recently received more than $8.5 million in federal funding for initiatives to reduce gun violence through the Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program. States can use this funding to support a variety of evidence-based efforts, including awareness campaigns to educate the public on safe firearm storage and help save lives.

However, Pennsylvania’s current plan for using this funding does not include any specific investments in public education about safe storage — a serious oversight that could lead to more deaths, like Emily’s.

Safely storing firearms is proven to protect children and families. When parents make even modest changes in firearm storage practices, studies show meaningful reductions in gun-related deaths by suicide and unintentional firearm fatalities among young people. Firearm owners who store their guns safely — locked and unloaded, with ammunition stored separately — are 60% less likely to die by firearm-related suicide than owners who do not follow safe storage practices.

Our city was reminded just last week of the importance of storing firearms safely when a 2-year-old in Brewerytown was fatally shot by a teenage relative who had found their grandmother’s unsecured gun.

You can look no further than seat belt safety and designated driver campaigns to know that public education efforts can be successful in promoting lifesaving changes in behavior. For instance, Brady, the national nonprofit advocating for gun safety, launched its own national campaign, called End Family Fire, in 2018 to educate the public about safe firearm storage. And it has worked — big time. Fifty-eight percent of gun owners who saw these public service announcements embraced safer practices, helping save countless lives.

Unless we act now and use every available resource, Pennsylvanians will continue to suffer from unintentional shootings and deaths by firearm suicides. The Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program funding presents the commonwealth with an opportunity to course correct. State leaders should swiftly update Pennsylvania’s plans for using our funding to ensure we’re investing in public education campaigns that are proven to promote safe firearm storage practices and prevent senseless tragedies.

My family will never get the chance to change Emily’s fate. But there are so many Pennsylvania families who would benefit from hearing her story and taking concrete steps to keep guns out of kids’ hands. I urge our leaders to make public education part of their gun safety plans so more children and teens have the chance to grow up.

This small change will save lives.

Sherri Matis-Mitchell is a biomedical data scientist based in Philadelphia, and she has been a vocal gun safety advocate in her community since she lost her niece to gun violence in 2012.