A 2022 report by the North Carolina Child Fatality Task Forceshowed that from 2019 to 2021, the rate of firearm deaths among children and youth in North Carolina more than doubled. This made firearms the leading cause of injury-related death for children and youth in the state. With guns falling into the wrong hands, our state was experiencing an urgent problem. Something had to be done. NC S.A.F.E. , which stands for Secure All Firearms Effectively, was one solution. Now, two years after the initiative began, two members behind the effort share progress and future plans to achieve the overall goal of a safer state.

NC S.A.F.E. is not associated with any advocacy-based initiatives related to gun laws or regulations. The initiative is run by the North Carolina Department of Public Safety and funded in part through the 2023 Byrne-State Crisis Intervention Program. Learn more at ncsafe.org.