PROJECT CHILDSAFE MEMPHIS REFLECTS ON SUCCESS AND GEARS UP FOR A SAFE 2019

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – U.S. Attorney Michael Dunavant and Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland, along with the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), recognize more than a year of raising firearms safety awareness with Project ChildSafe Memphis. Since launching the community-wide initiative, Project ChildSafe has distributed approximately 17,000 free gun locks, safety kits and educational materials, and established 15 community partnerships. The initiative has helped to educate gun owners and the public on the importance of firearms safety and safe storage to help prevent firearms accidents, thefts and misuse.

“For more than a year, Project ChildSafe has given away thousands of locks to Memphis residents and we have seen heightened awareness of how to responsibly store firearms,” said Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland. “Firearms accidents are preventable, and Project ChildSafe is helping educate residents and equip them with the necessary tools to keep firearms out of the wrong hands.”

The program is committed to making thousands of additional locks and other safety resources available in 2019. Distribution of those locks and materials is made possible through partnerships with Memphis Parks and Recreation, Memphis Police Department, firearms retailers and local churches.

“Project ChildSafe Memphis is a two-year program, and we’ve already seen a lot of success establishing strong local partnerships, which have been paramount in gaining the attention and trust of residents,” said NSSF CEO Steve Sanetti. “We will continue to amplify the importance of responsible gun ownership to improve safe use and responsible storage of firearms.”

Project ChildSafe Communities is supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (DOJ-BJA). BJA awarded this grant to help promote additional firearms safety efforts on a national level through the creation of “Project ChildSafe Communities” in key cities around the country. Project ChildSafe Communities also launched in Oklahoma City and Cleveland, two other locations whose communities organized to encourage safe and responsible firearms ownership.

Since 1999, when Project ChildSafe was established as a firearms safety education program of NSSF, the trade association representing the firearms industry, the program has distributed more than 38 million free firearm safety kits and has helped educate firearms owners on the importance of gun safety in communities across all 50 states and five U.S. territories. For more information on Project ChildSafe Communities and how to get involved, visit www.projectchildsafe.org/focus-communities.

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This project was supported by Grant No. 2015-FG-BX-K001 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

About NSSF

The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of more than 12,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers. For more information, visit nssf.org.

About Project ChildSafe

NSSF launched Project ChildSafe in 1999 (prior to 2003 the program was called Project HomeSafe) as a nationwide initiative to promote firearms responsibility and provide safety education to all gun owners. While children are a focus, Project ChildSafe is intended to help young people and adults practice greater firearm safety as well. Through partnerships with more than 15,000 law enforcement agencies, the program has provided more than 38 million free firearm safety kits to gun owners in all 50 states and the five U.S. territories. That’s in addition to the more than 70 million free locking devices manufacturers have included with new firearms sold since 1998 and continue to do today. Learn more at projectchildsafe.org.