5,200 Free Gun Locks to be Given Away Thursday

Anyone desiring a free gun lock needs to head to one of the following St. Louis metropolitan locations on Thursday between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. A total of 5,200 gun locks are being made available by Project ChildSafe to give away throughout the region, according to a St. Louis County Police Department news release.

Project ChildSafe is a nationwide program designed to help ensure safe and responsible firearm ownership and storage. It was developed by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) and supported by a U.S. Department of Justice grant. The name Project ChildSafe has been adopted by this group with the permission of the NSSF. The NSSF itself is further supporting this initiative by donating gunlocks and literature, and has agreed to provide representation on the day of the event.

The premise of the program is to provide gunlocks and literature concerning gun safety and education to as many citizen gun owners as supplies allow.
To reach the public and distribute the gunlocks and literature Police Officers, citizen and hospital staff will visit high trafficked areas in their respective jurisdictions and distribute gunlocks person to person. Following are the locations where residents can receive a free gun lock:

LOCAL GUN LOCK GIVEAWAY LOCATIONS ON AUG. 16

* Jefferson County Sheriff Department Offices:

• 400 First Street, Hillsboro, MO 63050
• 34 Dillon Plaza Shopping Center, High Ridge, MO 63049
• Windsor High School Campus Hwy 61/67 and Windsor Harbor Rd., Imperial, MO 63052
• Jefferson College Campus, Hillsboro, MO 63050

The program is designed to be simplistic, straightforward and allows police officers, involved citizens and hospital staff an opportunity to interact with the public in a positive and supporting role. It also provides a unique opportunity to be proactive in the effort to reduce firearm-related accidents in and out of the home.