Perspective: No One Was Hurt. Now What? Demand Safe Gun Storage

Many of you read my account of the day gunfire echoed near Carrboro High. I heard from parents, students, and neighbors who said it captured something they’ve been carrying for a long time. I’m grateful for that response—but it leaves a harder question:

What do we do with it?

I learned that people in our community have been asking the school district to take action by promoting gun violence prevention interventions. One way district leadership can reduce the risk of firearm violence is by endorsing and informing the community about secure gun storage. This includes: how to secure a gun (unload, lock and separate); why it is important to secure guns; storage options, including how to get free gun cable locks; and how people who don't own guns can prevent gun violence.

In the wake of our tragedy narrowly averted, I’m sharing this petition—not to debate national politics, but to focus on something we can act on right now.

Nearly 75% of guns used in school shootings come from a home and often belong to a family member or friend. That’s not an abstract policy problem. It’s a preventable risk, rooted in knowledge, awareness, and everyday decisions. We can normalize secure gun storage by talking about it openly—by asking, before a playdate or sleep over, whether there are guns in the home and if they’re securely stored, and by gun owners proactively sharing that they own firearms and they are locked and secured. These small actions help establish a culture where safety is expected, not assumed.

As a first step, we are calling on Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools to take a clear, public stand: endorse secure gun storage and proactively share information with our community about how to store firearms securely.

This is not about taking sides on a policy issue. It’s about sharing information that promotes responsibility and safety.

We ask our children to practice lockdown drills. We ask them to be prepared for the unthinkable. The least we can do, as adults, is reduce the chances that those drills ever become real.

If you felt something reading my account, this is a way to turn that feeling into action. No donations. No politics. Just a simple step toward making our community safer.

Our kids deserve more than relief. They deserve protection.

Join us in asking for action now.