Our families and friends depend on us to keep each other safe. Learning more about Firearms Restraining Order (FRO) and Be SMART now means you are ready when you are needed. Champaign County is organizing trainings with subject matter experts for community organizations. The community organizations will also have access to gun safes and gun locks free of charge from Champaign County to give to their constituents also with training on how to use them.

FRO: A Firearms Restraining Order is a way for family or law enforcement to ask a court to restrict a person’s access to guns and ammunition when that person poses a significant danger to themselves or others. A FRO is a tool to buy time when it matters most and empowers law enforcement and families to prevent gun violence and firearm-related suicide. Cordelia Coppleson is a Bureau Chief for the IL Ag’s office and will be leading trainings in Champaign County over the fall and spring. She is a subject matter expert and the training is open to organizations and individuals from law enforcement, domestic violence support, mental health, school social workers or community organizations. Please contact us if you are interested in having your organization join the trainings.

The aim of the training is to understand how the process of Firearms Restraining Order works and to help people know when/how to use it. FRO became law in January 2019.

Be SMART is a leader in the nation for secure firearms storage training. Champaign County will have a national trainer from Be SMART come to lead a series of train the trainer sessions. The training covers what Be SMART stands for, the steps people can take and how to train or provide secure storage counseling to a group or individual.

The aim of the Be SMART trainings is to equip local organizations with the tools to provide their constituents with ways to keep their families and friends safe. Secure firearms storage is a proven way to interrupt both accidental and intentional gun violence.

Suicide prevention is bolstered by making firearms inaccessible to the person in crisis. A FRO temporarily removes the persons firearms and secure storage makes them unavailable to someone who should not have access to them like children.

Champaign County encourages all community organizations to join us in this process and education. Police services can receive credit hours for the FRO training.

Contact safestorage@champaigncountyil.gov for more information on how your organization can join or host a training.