Author: codeadmin

Name: Sheriff Ron Hickman and Chief Deputy Tim Cannon

Department: Harris County Sheriff’s Office, Houston, Texas

How does your agency distribute Project ChildSafe gun locks and safety materials in your community?

We have the opportunity to distribute PCS locks at the station and at events, such as town hall events and community activities in local schools. Unfortunately, our community has seen an increase in gun accidents recently, so we try to be as vigilant as we can to make sure our community members understand that these resources are available.

We always appreciate the opportunity to talk about the importance of gun safety with our community service group so everyone knows that these locks are here and that gun safety is crucial.

Why does the Harris County Sheriff’s Office partner with Project ChildSafe?

As the third largest Sheriff’s office in the country, we started our partnership with Project ChildSafe when we realized the tremendous advantage and asset these resources can be for our neighbors. It is rare to find free resources that can make such a big impact. We are always looking for ways to make the community safe, and working with Project ChildSafe is a huge opportunity to do so.

How has access to free gun locks and safety materials impacted your community?

There is a large segment of our community that might not be able to afford to go out and buy a gun lock or gun safe. Because of our partnership with PCS, we are able to provide these locks at the station, and at community events, to those who have an interest. When we distribute the locks, we also have an opportunity to talk to community members about gun safety.

While it is hard to directly measure the impact in our community, I know Project ChildSafe has distributed over 37 million locks with 15,000 law enforcement partners, so that is a big impact all on its own.

How can residents in your in community and communities across the country become more involved in spreading the message of gun safety?

Social media doesn’t cost a thing, and it has a big reach. If more people would share information about this program and the fact that these locks are available, it could be a huge help.

In addition to firearm safety, what are some of the best safety practices families can incorporate in their homes?

There are a number of things people can do to ensure that safety is woven into the fabric of their daily lives:

• Make sure the exterior of your home is well lighted
• Keep your shrubs and bushes to a reasonable height
• Double check that you are locking windows, in addition to doors
• Alarms in both your home and car can prevent many crimes

Generally, it is important to keep safety top of mind. It should not be an afterthought. In addition, many communities offer a law enforcement security assessment through which they will determine any vulnerabilities in your home security setup and design.

Name: Bill Klundt, Community Resource Officer

Department: Bozeman Police Department

How does your agency distribute Project ChildSafe gun locks and safety materials in your community?

The Bozeman Police Department distributes Project ChildSafe gun locks and safety materials at community events. These materials are also available at the front counter of our Police Department. We invite all Bozeman-area residents to stop by the station during normal business hours and pick up a gun lock and firearm safety information. A few months ago we participated in Sportsman’s Warehouse’s “Ladies Night” event and saw the value these locks and safety materials have firsthand.

Why does the Bozeman Police Department partner with Project ChildSafe?

Montana has a positive gun culture and many of our residents have guns for hunting, sport, and personal safety. We work with Project Childsafe to give citizens the chance to take a positive, affordable approach to making their weapons safe around not only their children but the children of others.

How has access to free gun locks and safety materials impacted your community?

While we are unable to directly measure the impact, if the locks we have distributed save the life of a child or stopped a child from shooting another person accidentally, then it is a very positive impact. It’s the stories you never hear about that are the successes.

How can residents in your in community and communities across the country become more involved in spreading the message of safety?

I think the Bozeman Police Department’s program of making the locks available raises awareness. I have noticed many females asking for the locks now that more of them are carrying weapons for personal safety. These women may be first time gun owners and are eager for information and safety materials. They in turn can spread the message of gun safety message to family, friends and neighbors who also take the necessary precautions.

In addition to firearm safety, what are some of the best safety practices families can incorporate in their homes?

In general, people need to be aware of their surroundings and be ready to act if necessary.

Parents need to stress “Stranger Danger” with their kids and help them understand techniques that are used by predators. They also need a “code word” when someone is going to pick a child up. The child should be taught not to go with that person under any circumstances if they don’t know the “code word”.

We are constantly stressing for people to reduce temptation by locking their homes and vehicles.

Everyone should learn CPR and the Heimlich maneuver. They may save their own child.

People should take a look at their home through the eyes of a criminal regarding environmental design. Are bushes providing hiding places near windows, do lights activate around dark areas, do you stop your paper and mail when going out of town?

Name: Wendy Smith, Crime Prevention & Community Programs Coordinator

Department: Rocklin Police Department, California

How does your agency distribute Project ChildSafe gun locks and safety materials in your community?

The Rocklin Police Department distributes Project ChildSafe gun locks and safety materials at community events. These materials are also available at the front counter of our Police Department. We invite all Rocklin-area residents to stop by the station during normal business hours, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and pick up a gun lock and firearm safety information.

Why does the Rocklin Police Department partner with Project ChildSafe?

We at the Rocklin Police Department partner with Project ChildSafe because we want to raise awareness about the safe and responsible ownership of firearms and the importance of securely storing firearms to help reduce accidents and access by children.

How has access to free gun locks and safety materials impacted your community?

We assume that every person, especially gun owners, has knowledge about gun safety, but that’s not always the case. There are simple precautions every gun owner can take to make sure his or her firearms don’t pose a danger to children or the community. By providing materials and free gun locks we have been able to raise awareness, which in turn lowers the number of gun-related accidents.

How can residents in your community and communities across the country become more involved in spreading the message of safety?

It’s important to educate children about gun safety even if you aren’t a gun owner because children may go to a home where guns are present or they may come across a gun that has been discarded by a criminal. By educating children you give them knowledge that helps keep them safe. Many of our pre-schools invite us in to talk to kids about safety in general, and gun safety is one of the topics we cover. We also have volunteers that do grade-level presentations in our elementary schools about a variety of topics; one of which includes gun safety.

In addition to firearm safety, what are some of the best safety practices families can incorporate in their homes?

• Set your water heater to 120 degrees Fahrenheit or lower to avoid scalds.
• Make sure you have both a working smoke alarm and a carbon monoxide alarm on every level of your home, and in all sleeping areas. Test the alarms to make sure they work.
• Put all medicine and vitamins up and away and out of sight, even medicine you take every day.
• Create and practice a fire escape plan with your family. It is important to know two ways out of every room.
• Store all household cleaning products, liquid laundry packets and chemicals in their original container and store up and away, out of children’s reach and sight.
• Learn the Heimlich maneuver so you can respond quickly if your child chokes.
• Learn CPR (even if it is Hands Only CPR)

Name: Capt. Matthew Doughney

Department: Flagler Beach Police Department, Florida

How does your agency distribute Project ChildSafe gun locks and safety materials in your community?

We distribute the gun locks in a few ways. We have them at the front desk so they are available anytime to people who want them. This summer we plan to join Flagler Beach’s “First Fridays” event series by setting up a booth to distribute gun locks in the community. First Fridays is hosted by the City of Flagler Beach and has music and entertainment all summer long on the first Friday of every month. It’s hosted right by City Hall and roughly 500-900 people show up to each event. We are always looking for ways to get into the area and spread the safety message.

Why does the Flagler Beach Police Department partner with Project ChildSafe?

Our partnership with Project ChildSafe is a natural fit. For example, how do you provide something to an individual who a) can’t afford it or b) doesn’t know where to go? Project ChildSafe helps answer both those questions. Isn’t this what we are supposed to be doing to keep communities safe from accidents? It is all about keeping kids safe, adults safe, because once that bullet goes out, it is never coming back.

How has access to free gun locks and safety materials impacted your community?

The other week, a gentleman who had seen our ad online came in and asked for gun locks. His grandkids were staying with him for the summer and he wanted to make sure they were safe in his home. With examples like these, how do you put a price tag on that gun lock? Making sure an accident never happens – you can’t put a price tag on that.

We try to promote the free gun locks on our website, on Twitter and Facebook, and through media releases. We want people to know they are available.

How can residents in your community and communities across the country become more involved in spreading the message of safety?

It starts here, at community events and in schools. Early education is key for both parents and children. In our community, residency doesn’t matter. We want to make our area and country safe. Safety does not stop at city limits and bad guys don’t understand or follow city lines. Neither do tragedies. Anyone is welcome to come to us and ask for gun locks, even if you are just here on vacation. Talk about it with your kids and your friends. Make sure they know what resources are available.

In addition to firearm safety, what are some of the best safety practices families can incorporate in their homes?

There are so many things families can do. Crime prevention through environmental design is a basic thing everyone should know. Making sure you have exterior lighting, alarms, having someone check up on your house when you are going away. These little things make a big difference. In terms of home safety, have your family run fire drills with key places to meet up in an emergency. A big issue in Florida is pools. If you have a pool or your child will be around them, make sure you have a gate, or even a fence alarm. Have your kids take swimming lessons and make sure they are always supervised when near water.

These are just a few things, but as a small department, we do the best we can to stay ahead of the curve and be as vigilant as we can be. This is why we are proud to partner with Project ChildSafe.

Last Thursday, Sportsman’s Warehouse in partnership with Project ChildSafe hosted its annual ‘Ladies Night’ event in more than 70 cities across the country. Working with local law enforcement partners, Project ChildSafe was on hand to provide gun safety educational materials and gun locks to attendees. We are grateful to all of the partners who spent their evenings helping to spread the word about gun safety and the “Own it? Respect it. Secure it.” message. Check out some of our favorite photos, courtesy of the Spokane County Sheriff’s Department, Bonneville County Sheriff’s Department and Washington County Sheriff’s Department. Thank you to everyone who helped make these events a success!

Unable to attend one of these events? Find a gun safety kit through law enforcement in your area today. You can also stay up to date on Project ChildSafe news and events by signing up for our newsletter.

Our 2015 Annual Review is out! Last year was very successful for Project ChildSafe thanks to our community. We gave away more than 300,000 safety kits, expanded our reach to nearly 23,000 individual and organizational supporters, drove awareness to the program through a series of events, media stories and campaigns and created new tools to help spread the firearm safety message. Thank you for your support in 2015, and we’re excited for continued success in 2016!

Next week we’ll be gathering in Las Vegas for SHOT Show, the world’s largest trade show focused on hunting, shooting and the outdoors, to help spread the message of Project ChildSafe and recruit more supporters to the effort. We’re also proud to be hosting Katie Pavlich, author of Fast and Furious; Julie Golob, the author of Shoot; and Robert Vera, author of A Warrior’s Faith at the Project ChildSafe booth (#2528 in Hall G). They will join us to meet guests, pose for photos and autograph books. Want to stay updated with everything happening during the event? We’ll be live-tweeting from the floor each day.

This holiday season, $2 can buy the important gift of firearm safety. Two dollars is all it takes to help put a gun lock in

someone’s hands so firearms can be securely stored when not in use, and to help prevent firearm accidents, thefts or misuse.

Safe storage is the #1 way to help prevent firearm accidents in the home. To help every gun owner store their firearms responsibly, Project ChildSafe provides free gun locks to law enforcement agencies to distribute in their communities. It’s a hugely popular and successful program–we receive requests for thousands of gun locks from law enforcement partners every week.

Unfortunately, the demand far exceeds supply. We need your help to meet the need and provide more free gun locks to communities across the country.

From now until December 31^st, give the gift of safety and donate online at www.projectchildsafe.org/donate.

You can also send checks to:

Project ChildSafe Foundation

11 Mile Hill Rd.

Newtown, CT 06470

Thank you for your support and happy holidays!

The Project ChildSafe team

HUNTING SEASON IS A TIME TO PRACTICE AND PROMOTE FIREARMS SAFETY

Hunting season is here. As you know, hunting is a tradition that is often passed down from generation to generation. Another important tradition among hunters is practicing safety in the field and when transporting and storing firearms—something Project ChildSafe reminds hunters about with its Hunt S.A.F.E. campaign so that hunts are made safe, fun and memorable.

S.A.F.E. is an acronym for Store your firearms responsibly when not in use; Always practice firearms safety; Focus on your responsibilities as a firearms owner; and Education is key to preventing accidents. Project ChildSafe emphasizes safely securing firearms when they are not in use as the #1 way to prevent firearms accidents.

Here are a few ways you can help spread the Hunt S.A.F.E. message this season:

1. Take our online quiz to test your knowledge of safe and ethical hunting. Share your results with friends and family on Facebook or Twitter:

I took the @ProjectChildSafe quiz on hunting season! Test yourself to see if you know all the facts to be a safe  hunter: http://bit.ly/1ggnKLA #HuntSAFE

2. Have a conversation with your friends and family about safe hunting, using this checklist to get you started.

3. Tell us why you think firearms safety is especially important for hunters. What do you do to help you and your hunting companions remain safe at all times?

We’ve also developed additional resources to remind outdoorsmen and women that the hunt isn’t over until you’re home safe. Please reach out to us anytime at PCSStaff@nssf.org with any questions or stories about safe hunting.

We are proud to announce an ongoing partnership with nearly 30 state fish and wildlife agencies to encourage Americans to “Hunt S.A.F.E.” this fall by remembering to handle firearms responsibly.

When hunting this season, remember to Secure your firearms when not in use; be Aware of those around you who should not have unauthorized access to firearms; Focus on your responsibility as a firearm owner; and Educate yourself and others about safe firearm handling and storage.

“At a time of year when more firearms are likely to be taken out of storage, transported and used in the field, we want to emphasize the steps hunters should take to handle and store firearms properly and securely,” said NSSF President and CEO Steve Sanetti.

All around the country, state fish and wildlife agencies are using Hunt S.A.F.E. messaging to educate hunters and conservation officers.

This fall let’s all remember that the hunt is not over until you are home S.A.F.E. and your firearms are securely stored. You can find our safe hunting checklist, ethical hunting brochure and other tools here.