Most gun control groups out there say they’re about either gun violence or gun safety rather than gun control. Their focus groups long ago told them that the term “gun control” didn’t sit well with a lot of folks, so they opted for different language.

Yet in North Carolina, a new program is kicking off that will address some actual gun safety.

A new campaign to protect children from rising rates of gun violence is launching this week in North Carolina.

It comes as new data shows the rate of gun deaths in kids doubled from 2019 to 2021.

NC S.A.F.E. stands for secure all firearms effectively. It’s a new effort aimed at protecting children from gun violence.

NC S.A.F.E.’s week of action is launching this week, making stops all across the state to help law enforcement agencies, schools, pediatricians and community members learn about firearm safety.

According to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, from 2019 to 2021, the rate of firearm deaths among children and teenagers in North Carolina more than doubled.

The campaign stresses the majority of the guns kids are getting are not locked up. Education and action are pointed to as preventative measures.

Governor Roy Cooper hopes the initiative will cut down the number of gun deaths among children as well as thefts where firearms get into the wrong hands. Cooper feels the issue goes beyond personal safety and is a matter of public health.

It’s not a matter of public health, of course, but an initiative to help people secure firearms and offer gun safety education is a win in my book.

The truth of the matter is that locking up firearms when they’re not in use is a good thing. I’ll oppose mandatory storage requirements until the day I die, but not because I think people shouldn’t secure their weapons.

I just don’t think the government is in any position to tell anyone what they should be doing when it cannot understand the needs and requirements of an individual.

But that doesn’t mean people shouldn’t do it, obviously. They just need to make sure they’re balancing their own situation with the risks posed by the wrong person getting their hands on an unsecured firearm.

North Carolina is doing the right thing. This is something that we should all be on board with.

In fact, things like this should be as bipartisan as they come. Democrats and Republicans should be able to find common ground on programs like this.

Oh, I know that Democrats would prefer to mandate storage requirements, but if they can’t pull that off, shouldn’t this be an acceptable alternative?

We need to take steps to keep people safe. Actual gun safety, not the euphemistic version that’s just gun control in drag. That includes educating people on what not to do with their firearms. That’s actually common sense, which anti-gunners claim to be all about.

I’m glad to see North Carolina take this step. I sincerely hope others will do the same. Whether they will or not remains to be seen, but we can hope.