National SAFE Day

Brooklynn Mae Mohler, a thirteen-year-old girl from Las Vegas, Nevada, was shot and killed on June 4, 2013. She was shot in the back, in the center of her lower spine, by a friend who was playing with her father's handgun. Her death was on account of an irresponsible gun owner: the gun was loaded and unlocked and sitting in or on top of a kitchen cabinet. The tragedy was considered to be an accident and no charges were filed against the friend's father. On the day of the shooting, Brooklynn's father Jacob had arrived to pick her up but instead found her fighting for her life. Arriving before the police and paramedics, he tried to save her. While Jacob and his wife Darchel, Brooklynn's mother, couldn't save her, they refused to idly stand by and made sure that her legacy would have a positive impact on others.

The Mohlers founded the Brooklynn Mae Mohler Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on changing state gun laws to protect children, to keep other families from feeling the pain they felt, and to hold gun owners accountable and make them responsible for the storage of their weapons. The Brooklynn Mae Mohler Foundation is "committed to ending senseless child deaths through education of responsible gun ownership, and empowering parents to ask about guns where their children visit." The Mohlers also began hosting a yearly 5K Run for Safe Guns, and set up tables at events—such as at National Night Out events—where they handed out gun locks and asked people to sign pledges.

Through the foundation, the Mohlers also created National SAFE Day, which is observed today on the anniversary of Brooklynn's death. The goal of the day is to prevent tragedy. Its view is that proper gun storage is imperative and that it be the responsibility of gun owners, and it calls on parents to educate their children about firearms and to ask the question of the homes their children visit: "Are there any unsecured firearms in the home?" In support, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman issued a proclamation in 2016 making it National SAFE Day each June 4. The acronym SAFE stands for the following:

• S- Secure all firearms in the home.
• A- Ask the question about unsecured firearms in the homes your child visits.
• F- Frequently talk to your children about the dangers of firearms.
• E- Educate and Empower others to be SAFE.

How to Observe National SAFE Day

The day should be observed by following SAFE:

• S- Secure all firearms in the home.
• A- Ask the question about unsecured firearms in the homes your child visits.
• F- Frequently talk to your children about the dangers of firearms.
• E- Educate and Empower others to be SAFE.

Some other ways you could take part:

• Check out or support organizations that support efforts to protect children from gun deaths, such as the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, Everytown for Gun Safety, Project Childsafe, and Moms Demand Action, which is the organization behind the Be SMART campaign.
• Research the child access prevention and safe storage laws in your state and contact your legislators about the laws if you believe changes need to be made.
• Explore the Justice for Brooklynn Facebook page and Brooklynn Mae Mohler Memorial Facebook group.

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