FCPS will notify parents about the importance of safe gun storage

Secure gun storage could help prevent school shootings, like the recent one at Oxford High School in Michigan. [Jake May/Flint Journal]

Fairfax County Public Schools will notify parents and guardians about Virginia’s secure firearm safety law, Superintendent Scott Brabrand announced Dec. 16. 

FCPS will also inform parents about why secure storage is essential and other ways to prevent gun violence or seek help for a child who could be a threat to themselves or others.

The communication will be sent in January and then annually before the start of each school year.

Under the secure firearm law, it is unlawful to “recklessly leave a loaded, unsecured firearm in such a manner as to endanger the life or limb of any child under the age of 14. It is also unlawful to knowingly authorize a child under the age of 12 to use a firearm except when the child is under the supervision of an adult.” Violations of these provisions are a Class 1 misdemeanor.

The announcement follows months of advocacy from school board members Laura Jane Cohen (Springfield) and Karl Frisch (Providence).

The need to have secure gun storage and parent accountability was highlighted by a school shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan Nov. 30. Ethan Crumbley, age 15, killed four students and injured seven other students and a teacher. 

The parents, Jennifer and James Crumbley were charged with involuntary manslaughter for failing to secure the handgun used in the shooting. Ethan had previously threatened violence in drawings, social media posts, and videos. 

Moms Demand Action lauded FCPS for addressing this issue.   

“We’re so excited to see Fairfax join the nationwide grassroots movement by parents, students, and school boards to take action on secure storage policies that help save lives and keep guns out of the hands of children,” said Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action. 

“We owe it to our students to prioritize their safety, both at school and at home, and secure firearm storage is an essential part of that,” said Heather Foglio, a volunteer with the organization’s Virginia chapter. 

According to Frisch and Cohen: 

• An estimated 5.4 million American children live in households with at least one loaded, unlocked firearm.
• Every year, nearly 350 children under 18 unintentionally shoot themselves or someone else. That’s roughly one unintentional shooting per day.
• Another 700 children die by gun suicide each year, most often using guns belonging to a family member.
• 78 percent of shooters under 18 obtained their guns from their own home, a relative’s home, or friends.
• A recent survey shows about a third of gun owners store their guns loaded and unlocked. 
• Secure firearm storage is associated with up to an 85 percent reduction in the risk of self-inflicted and unintentional firearm injuries among children and teens.