In the single largest donation to a police department in its history, Project ChildSafe has donated to the PBA 33,000 gunlocks — enough for every sworn member of the department — to help us store our weapons safely at home.
“A gun is simply a tool of the trade in the policing profession that carries with it a tremendous responsibility,” said PBA President Pat Lynch at a press conference announcing the donation. “We have an obligation to take every possible precaution when our weapons are at home. This simple locking device is very effective in protecting our families, particularly children, against the possibility of discharge. We are very grateful to Project ChildSafe for this very generous donation.”
Many of us have had close calls with our guns at home. Maybe we got caught in traffic on the way home and had to run for the bathroom as soon as we hit the house and threw the gun on the table or bed — just for a minute. Sometimes that minute is all it takes for little hands to fumble into the worse imaginable tragedy. Or maybe we forgot that our little son, who could never reach the top of the closet or cabinet before, grows taller every day and becomes more and more curious. Sometimes it’s not even our children but their friends who want to see the “cop next door’s” gun.
Nobody wants to see anyone, especially children, accidentally hurt or killed by a police officer’s gun. So when Project ChildSafe contacted the PBA about the donation, we immediately accepted on behalf of our members.
“We are proud to join with the PBA in providing New York City’s police officers with firearm safety locks through Project ChildSafe,” said Doug Painter, president of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, which helped to provide the locks in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Justice. “Since 1999, we have worked closely with many hundreds of police departments nationwide in providing home firearms safety education and are particularly proud to now partner with New York’s Finest.”
The May 6 press conference announcing the donation was sponsored by the PBA, Operation ChildSafe and the National Shooting Sports Foundation and held at PBA headquarters. Radio, TV and newspaper reporters and photographers recorded the event at which several hundred gunlocks were spread out on a conference table. Bill Brassard of the National Shooting Sports Foundation demonstrated the proper use of the cable-style gunlock.
Mr. Brassard, director of Operation ChildSafe, said that “by promoting the message of proper firearm storage in the home, the PBA is raising awareness about firearms safety among law enforcement officers and consumers everywhere.”
The versatile locks, when properly used, will prevent virtually any firearm from discharging. The steel-wound, reinforced cable is passed through the ejector and handle of a nine millimeter and then is pushed into a lock. Or the cable can be put through the frame of an empty .38 caliber with an open cylinder and locked, rendering the gun inoperable.
The locks are being distributed through delegates at each command.