Jimi Westbrook is speaking up about the importance of gun safety and violence prevention.

The Little Big Town artist and longtime hunter connected with Mark Barden, the CEO and co-founder of Sandy Hook Promise. Barden and others came together to form the nonpartisan gun violence prevention organization following the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy on December 14, 2012. Twenty-six people — including six adults and 20 children — lost their lives that day, and some of the families affected aim “to honor all victims of gun violence by turning our tragedy into a moment of transformation,” Sandy Hook Promise states. Barden helped found the organization in honor of his son, Daniel, who passed away on that day in his first-grade classroom. He was 7.

Westbrook, a father who marks 25 years with Little Big Town this year, credits wife and bandmate Karen Fairchild with connecting him with Sandy Hook Promise and Barden. Westbrook said listening to Barden share his story and information about the organization is “just chilling and heartbreaking to me as a father,” in a recent phone interview with iHeartCountry and the Sandy Hook Promise CEO and co-founder. The Grammy-winning country star said he attended a meeting with nonprofit organization Everytown for Gun Safety years ago, and “that kind of just opened my eyes to legislation and…the gaps that we had.” He remembered thinking, “we have so far to go.”

“That’s why I’m here, is, I think within what we do as musicians – and particularly, for whatever reason, in our genre of music – people don’t want to (or) seem to be afraid to talk about common sense gun laws. And I’m just here as a father who cares about my son and about everyone’s children, keeping them safe, and doing the things that we know we can do to prevent these tragedies that are taking place on too regular of a basis,” Westbrook told iHeartCountry. “As far as I’m concerned, and the culture of hunters that I grew up around, gun safety is of utmost importance. I mean, from the moment I know I stepped into the woods or whatever, with guns and other hunters, it was of the utmost importance, and I think that’s something that we all, that the majority of gun owners (here), is the responsibility of such a powerful weapon being in the possession of, you know, common, everyday people. It’s a dangerous thing, and the people I know who are responsible gun owners care about it, and it is the core of any interactions you have with weapons of any kind with the people that I’ve been around and I want to say that out loud.

“I just want to speak out because I know the community of gun owners in this area, and everyone I know cares about responsibility and treating them with the care that they need to be treated with. They are dangerous weapons, and we have to treat them (accordingly),” he said, later raising points about safe storage. Westbrook noted safety measures like keeping firearms unloaded and using resources like a closet with a thumbprint lock or a code to keep them secure at home. “It’s just common sense. It only makes sense. You care about your children, and you want to protect them. These are easy things. Having a gun closet, a safe, a locked box, trigger locks, anything like that. These are easy, simple, simple steps, and they make so much sense and they don’t – it’s not infringing on anyone. It’s things we should normally think of, and it’s so important.”

Westbrook said that while he’s on the road, including Little Big Town’s 25th anniversary tour with Sugarland and The Castellows, he has peace of mind with his storage system.

To date, Sandy Hook Promise has prevented at least 16 school shootings that were planned and imminent, Barden said while speaking with iHeartCountry. Those prevented tragedies were confirmed by law enforcement officials, who managed to confirm a potential attacker had a plan in place with access to firearms. Students trained in the organization’s program were able to communicate with a trusted adult, including largely through an anonymous reporting system and speaking with a trained crisis counselor. Barden said that 70% of people who take their life talk about it with at least one other person, and about 80% of school shooters communicate their plans with at least one other person. That’s why Sandy Hook Promise emphasizes the importance of empowering students to recognize warning signs and act accordingly. Barden noted that Sandy Hook Promise offers educational resources and opportunities for volunteers.

Barden said he and others started Sandy Hook Promise “to prevent other families from having to endure the lifetime of pain due to preventable gun violence.” Those involved with the organization have conducted research and interviewed stakeholders and leaders nationwide. They’ve trained both adults and students to recognize warning signs, know the appropriate steps to take action and how to protect themselves. They’ve also supported or written original legislation to help implement and fund their programs, “so that we don’t have to pass any charges or costs onto the communities and schools that we serve,” Barden said. “We also have passed bipartisan policy at the state and federal level in mental health initiatives, and safe storage initiatives and other gun violence prevention initiatives, none of which infringe on anyone’s right to own a firearm. …In addition to stopping the bad things, we are also building and fostering a culture of upstanders, which is students who take this seriously who are looking out for themselves and for others. We’re affecting the culture in a positive way as well.”

Barden offered his support to Westbrook’s point of view, reiterating the importance of respecting a firearm as a tool and being able to partake in the sport of hunting while “understanding that secure storage is fundamental to responsible gun ownership. …Those things can coexist, and should, and do coexist as a responsible gun owner to respect that firearm in a way that’s consistent with keeping your home safe. …and there’s no reason to vilify somebody who enjoys the tradition of hunting because it’s done with a gun. There’s absolutely no reason for that. It’s consistent with our second amendment rights. It’s consistent with responsibility. It’s consistent with being a responsible parent.” He noted that additional information — including statistics, warning signs, the nonpartisan organization's programs and more — is available here. “We can do this.”

Michael J.