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What: NC S.A.F.E. Week of Action Events Across North Carolina
Where: Events will take place in locations including:
• High Point
• Durham
• Raleigh
• Scotland County
• Asheville
• Fayetteville
• Winston-Salem
When: Sunday, June 2, to Saturday, June 8
Gov. Roy Cooper has proclaimed June 2–8, 2024, the NC S.A.F.E. (Secure All Firearms Effectively) Week of Action. For this second annual NC S.A.F.E. Week of Action, the N.C. Department of Public Safety (NCDPS) is participating in or assisting with events with various partner organizations throughout the state. Representatives from the NC S.A.F.E. initiative will be available at each event to speak to the media about the initiative’s goals and the need for secure firearm storage in North Carolina.
The format of each event will vary. Details are included below.
Date and Time | Location | Event Details |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, June 3, 3–5 p.m. | Hallelujah Baptist Church 2511 Guyer St. High Point, NC 27265 | The NC S.A.F.E. Week of Action kickoff event, this community event will feature remarks from Gov. Cooper, Guilford County Sheriff Danny Rogers and other elected/local and state leaders, as well as cable gun lock giveaways and other informational materials to encourage community members to securely store firearms. |
| Tuesday, June 4, 9 a.m. to noon | Durham County Courthouse 510 S. Dillard St. Durham, NC 27701 | This event features the distribution of cable gun locks to community members. |
| Tuesday, June 4, at 6 p.m. | Transfer Co. Food Hall 500 E. Davie St. Raleigh, NC 27601 | This event will feature a screening of the WRAL documentary “Unsafe,” followed by a panel discussion with local and state leaders about the importance of secure firearm storage. |
| Wednesday, June 5, 3 – 5 p.m. | IEJ Community Center 815 McGirts Bridge Road Laurinburg, NC 28352 | The 10th Annual Scotland Community Day will feature a safety exposition that includes the distribution of cable gun locks and secure storage information to members of the community. |
| Friday, June 7, at 12:45 p.m. | Pack Square Park 121 College St. Asheville, NC 28801 | Partners in Buncombe County will bring together the community to promote safe firearm storage and the importance of gun safety. Community members are invited to the park at 12:45 p.m. for a photo opportunity to show commitment to this important issue. |
| Friday, June 7, 9 a.m. – noon | Smith Recreation Center 1520 Slater Ave. Fayetteville, NC 28301 | This family-friendly community resource event will include a brief presentation by local leaders, followed by a “touch a truck” event outside the community center and giveaways of gun locks and other materials. The event is hosted by the Live Like Jenesis Project, Cape Fear Valley Health, and City of Fayetteville. Cape Fear Valley Health will also be hosting firearm trauma stations, designed to emphasize the impact gun violence has in the community. |
| Saturday, June 8, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. | Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Downtown Health Plaza 1200 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Winston-Salem, NC 27101 | This summer bash will include giveaways for families as they prepare for summer, including gun locks, life jackets and helmets. |
Members of the media should RSVP to ncsafe@ncdps.gov to confirm their attendance at any of the events. A full NC S.A.F.E. media kit, including prerecorded video responses to frequently asked questions; key facts and statistics; and other resources for members of the media is available at www.ncsafe.org/about.
Below are some facts about the challenge North Carolina is facing and what we’re doing to meet it.
According to FBI data, more than 2,500 guns were stolen from cars throughout North Carolina in 2022, with nearly 750 occurrences in Raleigh, Asheville, Fayetteville and Winston-Salem alone.1
Launched in 2023, NC S.A.F.E. was created by NCDPS to respond to surges in firearm theft and an alarming increase of firearm-related deaths among North Carolina’s children. Firearms are now the leading cause of injury-related death for children and youth in North Carolina.2
NC S.A.F.E. wants to teach North Carolinians that proper storage makes a difference in their homes, schools, and communities. According to a 2021 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey, 42% of North Carolina adults have a firearm in or around the home, and more than half of firearms that are stored loaded are also unlocked.
North Carolinians can find more information about effectively and safely securing their guns at ncsafe.org. Additional media materials are available at ncsafe.org/about.
[1] Tableau Public. (2024, May). Gun theft by city, map and bar.
[2] North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. (2022). Keeping families and communities safe: Public health approaches to reduce violence and firearm misuse leading to injury and death.