Everytown for Gun Safety, and Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, Everytown’s grassroots networks, released the following statement celebrating the installation of Anna King, a volunteer with the Oklahoma chapter of Moms Demand Action and the chapter’s school safety co-lead, as President of the National Parent Teacher Association.
“Anna King’s passion for equitable education and school safety will foster a brighter and safer future for children across the country,” said Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action. “Gun safety and school safety are intertwined, and Anna has worked for years to make sure that parents know we can’t have one without the other. We are excited to have a Moms Demand Action leader as National PTA President to continue building our partnership and keep our kids safe in school.”
Everytown for Gun Safety has a long history of partnership with the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) around Be SMART – a program developed by Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund and Moms Demand Action which helps parents and other adults normalize conversations about gun safety and take responsible actions that can prevent child gun deaths and injuries. National PTA was on board from the start, and continues to support the program’s success.
The program encourages parents and adults to:
- Secure all guns in their home and vehicles
- Model responsible behavior around guns
- Ask about the presence of unsecured guns in other homes
- Recognize the role of guns in suicide
- Tell their peers to be SMART