"Learning? Yes," said the director of security for Wake County Public School System, Kendrick Scott. "But our responsibility in my view is that when a kid comes here, they go home in the same position they came to school, if not better."
Scott has been tasked with overseeing security operations for the state's largest school district. "Proactive measures to keep kids safe. We work at that every single day and we will not stop at that," he said.
In early 2025, the district promoted the use of the RAVE mobile security app as a 'panic button' of sorts, intended to alert or notify users of a potential emergency on school campuses.
Per a district representative, the app has more than 3,000 downloads to date.
Meanwhile, state law enforcement leaders have said more youths are getting access to unsecured firearms. And in many cases, those firearms are used to commit crimes and some make their way to school campuses across North Carolina.
According to the most recent published data, there were 156 acts of possession of a firearm or explosive device on school campuses in North Carolina in the 2023-2024 school year.
"It's a tragedy that kids are able to get the guns and get to school and hurt people. I just feel like people need to take responsibility," said North Carolina resident Wilbert Moore, who was out shopping for a secure and safe storage for his firearms. "I've got a sort of makeshift security thing at the house. But I feel like I just need to do something a little better," he said.
According to a 2019 Secret Service report, 80 percent of school shooters under the age of 18 get their firearm from home or from a friend or relative.
The North Carolina Department of Public Safety is in the midst of its NC S.A.F.E. campaign, which looks to educate adults on the safe storage of firearms. The acronym in S.A.F.E. stands for 'secure all firearms effectively.'
The owner of Fuquay Gun, Clay Ausley, said the education starts as soon as someone is in his store to purchase a firearm.
"When you come in and you sign this document and you get this pamphlet, that's really the second note. The first note is when you're in here buying a gun, my guys are going to educate you too, while they're selling you the gun on safe firearm storage," said Ausley. "A child showing up at school with a firearm, absolutely uncalled for. Parents have to be taking care of that at home with a secure way of keeping their firearm locked up where kids can't get a hold of them."
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