Moms Demand Action hosts community meeting to discuss gun safety

SAN ANTONIO – Moms Demand Action held a meeting Thursday to discuss the importance of the Be SMART initiative.

“The purpose is making this a part of a national conversation,” said Danna Halff, a volunteer for the organization. “It is to bring the conversation to a level where we can discuss this as a community.”

Be SMART is centered on children and gun safety. The SMART acronym stands for:

S- Securing the weapons

M- Modeling responsible behavior

A- Asking about unsecured weapons

R- Recognizing the risk of teen suicide

T- Telling others about being SMART

“Children can’t rely on themselves, and we can’t rely on them to keep themselves safe,” Halff said. “We as adults have to lock our weapons up.”

Halff said it is also important to educate your child on the weapons in the home.

“You have to talk about it if you are a gun owner,” Halff said. “You have to educate your children, but that doesn’t mean they should have access to them.”

During a presentation, families learned statistics, tips on how to keep children away from guns and heard stories of children killed in accidental shootings. 

“We believe it is an adult conversation,” Halff said. “It is something only adults need to have because we as adults are responsible for guns. We are not rallying against guns but gun violence. We are in favor of common sense in the framework of the Second Amendment.”

The conversation among families in attendance included both gun owners and people concerned about their children visiting homes of gun owners.

“It is important that we have this conversation with both sides so, again, we can educate everyone on how to be SMART,” Halff said.

Halff said the organization plans to hold a Wear-Orange Rally against Gun Violence on June 2 from 9-11 a.m. at Alamo Beer.

“We would love to have the whole community come out and rally against gun violence,” Halff said. “We feel that is something the entire community can get behind.”