To the editor:

I would like to thank the Barrington School Committee for unanimously voting to pass a Secure Firearm Storage Resolution back in early February. Passage of this resolution comes after the threat of gun violence hit particularly close to home in December when a school shooting threat was found written in a school restroom at Barrington High School. This resolution is the first of its kind to pass in Rhode Island. More than 2 million students across the country now live in a school district that requires schools to educate parents about the critical importance of secure firearm storage in keeping schools and students safe. Up to 80 percent of school shooters obtain their gun from their home or the home of relatives or friends. Unintentional shootings by children have increased over the course of the pandemic. Here is what secure gun storage means: guns should be unloaded, locked, and stored separately from ammunition where children cannot access them. Thanks again to the School Committee for prioritizing safety of students, teachers, and our community.

Jennifer Boylan

Barrington