Westchester DA co-hosts gun safety forum, provides way to properly store firearms

A meeting was held in Westchester on Wednesday night that the county's top prosecutor hopes can save lives.
The District Attorney's Office co-hosted a forum about gun safety and ways to properly store firearms in your home with kids around.
It comes on the heels of a 16-year-old boy suspected of fatally shooting a 17-year-old in New Rochelle on Tuesday night.
Newburgh Schools went virtual in November for everyone's safety after an incident caught on tape showed chaos erupting in the streets after teenagers opened fire on each other.
And in New York City, five police officers have been shot - two killed - this month alone.
"We know this is a painful moment. But there's also a purpose. How do we turn our pain into purpose?" asked New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
President Joe Biden will be in New York City next week to talk about solutions to stop the gun violence. But on Wednesday night, officials took action on a local level.
The Zoom meeting was co-hosted by the Westchester DA and Mom's Demand Action about gun safety.
The national firearm survey reports millions of children live in homes with a gun, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports 1,500 kids under 18 died from guns last year.
The focus at the meeting was keeping guns in our homes out of their hands.
"We know that most guns that are used by young people come from the home of the parent or a relative," said District Attorney Mimi Rocah.
Their advice is to follow the acronym SMART:
Secure your guns.
Model responsible behavior with your weapons..
Ask about guns in homes where your child is visiting.
Recognize the role of guns in suicide.
Tell your friends about these steps.
If there's someone under 16 in your home, New York law requires gun owners to lock their weapons with a trigger guard or in a firearm safe, with ammunition locked separately. It's a Class A misdemeanor if you don't follow it.