LEONARDTOWN, Md. – The St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office is reminding parents and guardians of the critical importance of securely storing firearms after recent incidents in our region and surrounding regions where elementary school students brought loaded firearms to school. In two cases, a gun was discharged; thankfully, no injuries were reported.
These incidents serve as a sobering reminder that unsecured firearms can lead to tragic consequences. Parents and guardians must ensure that weapons are safely stored and inaccessible to children.
Under Maryland law, guardians may be held criminally liable if a child gains access to a firearm that was not properly secured.
Jaelynn’s Law, which went into effect in October 2023, requires that all firearms be stored unloaded and secured in a manner that prevents access by minors under the age of 18. The law is named in memory of Jaelynn Willey, a 16-year-old student who was shot and killed in 2018 at Great Mills High School by a classmate who used his father’s gun.
Firearm owners who fail to comply with these requirements may face criminal charges if a child accesses the weapon.
The Sheriff’s Office encourages the use of gun safes, lockboxes, and trigger locks and offers free gun locks to the public upon request. Free gun locks are available at all our stations:
Headquarters
23150 Leonard Hall Drive, Leonardtown, MD 20650
District 1 Station
37575 Charlotte Hall School Road, Charlotte Hall, MD 20622
District 3 Station
23125 Camden Way, California, MD 20619
District 4 Station
21633 Great Mills Road, Lexington Park, MD 20653
Getting them from your substations is not possible as they are NOT manned as they should be. Money wasted on building them.
The number one cause of illegal guns in the hands ov violent criminals and kids is theft. Either carry it with you at all times or lock it up!