The Guilford County Sheriff’s Department is participating in the statewide NC SAFE Week of Action Program.

In this case, “SAFE” stands for Secure All Firearms Effectively. This Week of Action in June has been established to educate people in the state about the best practices for securing their firearms safely to protect themselves, their families and others in the community.

Also, during the week, a limited number of gun locks and gun safes will be provided for free.

The week’s main event – meant for the public and the press – will be held on Wednesday, June 7 at 5:30 p.m.in the courtyard of the Otto Zenke Building at 400 W. Washington Street in Greensboro.  That building currently serves as the headquarters for the Sheriff’s Department while the county attempts to get another one built.

In recent years, a number of mass shootings have been conducted by people who got access to guns left unsecure by others and that goes for suicides and other gun deaths as well.

The SAFE week’s main event will have no shortage of speakers. The list includes NC Juvenile Justice Division Deputy Secretary William “Billy” Lassiter, Chairman of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners Skip” Alston, Greensboro Police Chief John Thompson, High Point Police Chief Travis Stroud, NC Agricultural & Technical State University Police Chief Jermaine Cherry and Guilford County Health Director Dr. Iulia Vann.

Some strategies for helping secure guns include simple cheaper options like trigger locks and gun cases to more expensive options like thick gun safes.  There are also safe gun handling practices that keep guns out of the wrong hands.

According to the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control, in 2021 – the most recent year for which complete data is available – 48,830 people died from gun-related across the country. That includes murders, suicides, accidental shootings, law enforcement shootings and other gun deaths.