Gun owners in Morgan Hill can now take advantage of a nationwide
program designed to keep children safe in homes with guns.
Gun owners in Morgan Hill can now take advantage of a nationwide program designed to keep children safe in homes with guns.
The Morgan Hill Police Department will provide gun owners with free gun locks as a part of Project ChildSafe, which has provided more than 12 million safety kits containing the locks to gun owners throughout the nation.
“MHPD is trying to get the word out that these locks are available for our community at no cost,” said MHPD Cpl. Troy Hoefling. “We would like to see all guns locked and kept in a safe manner when not in use. It is our goal to prevent any and all accidental shootings or thefts.”
Hoefling said many people don’t realize the locks can save lives, and that local police agencies are making them available for no charge.
He said many people may not realize just how widespread problems caused by guns in the home have become, Hoefling added.
“We know people have guns in the home, and we just want them to be as safe and careful as they can; but more so, we want them not to be accessed by children,” he said. “We don’t want people to think, ‘It won’t happen to us.’ Kids are curious, and even if you think they won’t, they probably will.”
From “Common Sense About Kids and Guns” (http://www.kidsandguns.org):
• From 1996-2001, more than 1,530 children were killed in firearm accidents;
• In 2002, 13,053 kids were injured with firearms and an additional 16,182 were injured with BB guns and or pellet guns;
• 40 percent of American households with children have guns;
• 47 percent of high school students said that they could easily obtain a gun if they wanted, while 22 percent of middle school students said they could get a firearm;
• 72 percent of parents think that their child was not likely to handle a gun without their permission.
• The overall firearm-related death rate among U.S. children aged less than 15 years old was nearly 12 times higher than among children in 25 other industrialized countries combined.
Already this year in California, there have been several fatalities involving children and guns.
On May 11, in Modesto, a 9-year-old boy shot himself in the face with a shotgun; and on May 6, a 13-year-old Compton boy shot himself with a rifle.
Anyone interested in a free safety kit containing a gun lock can stop by the police department, 16200 Vineyard Boulevard, or call 779-2101 for more information.
The purpose of Project ChildSafe is to promote safe firearms handling and storage practices among all firearms owners through the distribution of key safety education messages and free gun locking devices.
Project ChildSafe is an expansion of the Project HomeSafe program developed by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF). It is supported by a U.S. Department of Justice grant and is a component of Project Safe Neighborhoods, the nationwide commitment to reduce gun crime to create safer neighborhoods. NSSF also provides funding to Project ChildSafe.
http://www.projectchildsafe.org/
