COLUMBIA, SC (WACH) – The City of Columbia’s Office of Violent Crime Prevention has launched a program to educate people about responsible gun use, and local politicians have declared the third week of August as SMART Week.
Columbia Mayor Daniel Rickenmann said he was looking forward to this launch.
“I think today it's important that we not only celebrate Mayor's Week, but also raise awareness about what we need to do every week. Gun violence is a problem, a nationwide problem. I just got on the phone with 15 other mayors today and talked about our challenges, and this is one of them,” said Mayor Rickenmann.
Sharline Brown lost her brother to gun violence in 2015. Now she is working to solve this problem.
“I turned that pain into a goal and now be smart is my passion,” Brown said. “Be smart is an educational program where we educate parents and adults about the importance of gun safety and proper gun storage.”
SMART stands for: secure guns, model responsible gun use, ask about unsecured guns, recognize the role of guns in suicides, and tell friends and neighbors to be careful.
“It is sad to know that 70 percent of the weapons seized were stolen from homes or cars. This small step can prevent an accident, a death, a crime,” said Mayor Rickenmann.
This week, it goes beyond the city limits of Columbia and extends to areas like Fairfield and Orangeburg County. This partnership includes nine school districts, 16 law enforcement agencies, four Midland hospitals, and many volunteers.
“I personally have been to many of our students' funerals along with our principal and many teachers. Now it's time to go to birthday parties, graduations and even weddings,” said Hayward Jean, director of student services for the Orangeburg County School District.
Brown said programs like this have helped reduce gun theft rates in South Carolina.
“I know for sure that we have made great progress. We are now ranked 28th, whereas we were number 3 in terms of weapons theft from vehicles. So I know that we are definitely making a difference compared to be smart and other organizations.”
This is the first time that the city government has declared this week as Smart Week, and it will continue this effort from now on.
