Everytown and Moms Demand Action to Release #NotAnAccident Index and Launch ‘Be Smart’ Campaign to Reduce Unintentional Child Shootings

#NotAnAccident Index Tracks Unintentional Shootings By Children; BeSMARTforkids.org

Washington, D.C. – At the start of Mother’s Day week, Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America will release the #NotAnAccident Index, a first-of-its-kind tracking of unintentional shootings by children, and launch Be SMART, a new public education campaign asking gun owners and non-gun owners alike to come together to reduce the number of unintentional shootings, suicides, and homicides that occur when firearms are not stored responsibly and children or teens get ahold of a gun.

Melissa Joan Hart, gun violence survivors, gun owners, and moms will gather in the nation’s capitol to release the index and launch the Be SMART campaign, which asks parents and caretakers to take five steps to help prevent shootings by children: Secure all guns in your home and vehicles; Model responsible behavior around guns; Ask about the presence of unsecured guns in other homes; Recognize the risks of teen suicide; Tell your peers to be SMART. More information on Be SMART is available at BeSMARTforKids.org.

As part of a Mother’s Day Week of Action, Moms from all over the country will host nearly 150 house parties giving the Be SMART presentation featuring Melissa Joan Hart – actor, director, and a mom of three who is helping spread the message of gun safety to communities across the country. The week will close with the 3rd Annual Brooklyn Bridge March and Rally to End Gun Violence in New York City on Saturday, May 9th in New York City.

As part of a Mother’s Day Week of Action, Moms from all over the country will host nearly 150 house parties giving the Be SMART presentation featuring Melissa Joan Hart – actor, director, and a mom of three who is helping spread the message of gun safety to communities across the country. The week will close with the 3rd Annual Brooklyn Bridge March and Rally to End Gun Violence in New York City on Saturday, May 9th in New York City.

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WHAT:

Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America will release the #NotAnAccident Index, a first-of-its-kind tracking of unintentional shootings by children, and launch Be SMART, a new public education campaign asking gun owners and non-gun owners alike to come together to reduce the number of unintentional shootings, suicides, and homicides that occur when firearms are not stored responsibly and children or teens get ahold of a gun.

WHO:

• Melissa Joan Hart, actor, director and mother featured in Be SMART video presentation
  
• Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America
  
• Ashley Beal, Ashley’s four year-old son, Codrick McCall Jr., died from an unintentional, self-inflicted gunshot wound on March 1, 2015 in Houston, Texas. Codrick shot himself with an unsecured gun he found at a family friend’s home. Ashley is working to raise awareness about gun safety through the Codrick Jr. Guardian Angel Foundation.
  
• Missy Jenkins Smith, Kentucky mother of two and survivor of a 1997 school shooting where the shooter used a gun found unsecured at a friend’s home in the garage. She is paralyzed due to her injuries.
  
• Misty Uribe, North Carolina mother of three. In April 2015, her son was at a friend’s house when one of the playmates was shot in the face while playing “cops and robbers” with an unsecured gun.

WHEN:

Monday, May 4th
11:00 AM