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Bedford Safe Campaign - Gun Violence Prevention
The Bedford Safe Campaign is a collaborative gun violence prevention campaign sponsored by the Bedford Police Department, the Bedford Health Department and the Bedford Board of Health who are joining together to protect our children, youth and families from gun violence injury and death in homes. We strive to accomplish this through community education, outreach and prevention programming.
CLICK HERE to view the March 1, 2023, Gun Violence Community Forum
Gun Violence in America: community-driven approaches to this local and national crisis featuring Dr. Peter Masiakos, Co-Director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Gun Violence Prevention.
Mental Health Resources
If you or someone you know is in crisis:
Call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also chat with them online via their website, or text HOME to 741741 (multiple languages available). If this is an emergency, call 911.
Call or text 833-773-2445 to reach the Massachusetts Behavioral Health Helpline for 24/7 for urgent care evaluation and connection to clinical services. They are also available at masshelpline.com
Town of Bedford Specific Mental Health and Social Services:
Mental Health Counseling Available at Bedford Town Center - Licensed Clinicians, through the Town’s contract with Eliot Community Human Services, are available for all Bedford residents, by appointment in the Youth and Family Services Office or Eliot’s Concord clinic. Eliot’s clinicians are trained to address a variety of mental health needs. To set up an appointment please call 781-275-7727.
The Town of Bedford Social Service Team is available to any Bedford resident, student of Bedford Public School, and/or anyone employed in the Town of Bedford. For a full listing of the services available visit our webpage detailing Bedford Specific Mental Health and Social Services.
Gun Violence Risk Factors: Statistics and Research
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health - Center for Gun Violence Solutions - The Center works to produce comprehensive reports synthesizing the best available evidence on gun violence prevention.
Everytown for Gun Safety - An organization of nearly 10 million mayors, moms, teachers, survivors, gun owners, students, and everyday Americans have come together to make their own communities safer. They strive to introduce evidence-based solutions in every town to end gun violence.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - Firearm Violence Prevention - The CDC acknowledges that firearm violence is a serious public health problem that impacts the health and safety of Americans. They seek to prevent firearm injuries by 1) providing data to inform action, 2) conducting research and applying science to identify effective solutions, and 3) promoting collaboration across multiple sectors to address the problem.
Massachusetts General Hospital Gun Violence Prevention Center - A multidisciplinary initiative at MGH dedicated to preventing firearm-related violence and promoting safety in the home and community.
Brady United Against Gun Violence - Given America's gun violence epidemic is a problem with so many root causes, Brady seeks to address it from all angles and emphasizes education, litigation and legislation.
American Academy of Pediatrics - Healthychildren.org - A parenting website backed by 67,000 pediatricians committed to the attainment of optimal physical, mental and social health and well-being for all infants, children, adolescents and young adults.
Journal of the American Medical Association - Assessment of Firearm Storage Practices in the US, 2022.
New England Journal of Medicine - Gun ownership as a risk factor for homicide in the home.
University of Michigan - Michigan Medicine - Preventing Teen Suicide: When to Remove Firearms from Your Home - Teens often plan their suicide for less than five minutes, an impulse that can be fatal with a gun. An injury prevention researcher explains how to help keep kids safe.
Storage Best Practices
FREE Gun Safety Kits Available
FREE Gun Safety Kits consisting of a lock and safety instructions are currently available at the following Bedford locations:
Police Department, 2 Mudge Way
Health Department, Town Center Building, 12 Mudge Way
Council on Aging, Town Center Building, 12 Mudge Way
Free Public Library (Circulation Desk), 7 Mudge Way
Safe Storage Guidance
Project ChildSafe - a program of the National Shooting Sports Foundation to promote firearms safety and education
The Be SMART Campaign - raises awareness that secure gun storage, storing guns locked, unloaded and separate from ammunition, can save children's lives. Be SMART empahsizes that it is an adult's responsibility to keep kids from accessing guns and that every adult can play a role in keeping kids and communities safer.
Storables - 10 Best Gun Storage Solutions to Keep Your Kids Safe
MGH Hospital for Children - Safely Storing Guns and Ammunition in your Home
Michigan Medicine at the University of Michigan - Keeping Kids Safe from Gun Accidents: 6 Strategies for Families
MGH: Center for Gun Violence Prevention - If you own a gun - here's how to store it safely
Conversation Starters
Norwell Health – Center for Gun Violence Prevention. No one wants to ask an awkward question. But would you reconsider if it would save your child’s life? Unlocked guns are now the number one cause of deaths in children. And it may feel uncomfortable but it doesn’t kill to ask if there is an unlocked gun in the house. View their "Ferocious Tiger – gun violence prevention video" here.
Today Show - How to ask someone if there are unlocked guns in the home.
Brady Center - How to ask someone if there are unlocked guns in the home and more conversation starters.
Conversation Starters for specific scenarios:
- Parents/Guardians dropping their kids off for a playdate
- Babysitter to Parent/Guardian
- Care of an older family member
- Parent/Guardian to Parent/Guardian
- Roommate to Roommate
- Adult Daughter to Father
- Adult Child to Parents