Have a gun, child at home? Get a free gunlock from police
MIAMI - Preventing unintentional shootings, especially those where children can end up dead because of accessing a loaded gun, is the reason why North Miami Police is handing out gunlocks for free to anybody who will come to their headquarters.
"Most accidental shooting deaths among children involved guns that are left loaded and unsecured," said North Miami Police Chief Cherise G. Gause at a press conference on Friday.
North Miami Police launched a Public Safety Initiative partnered with Project Safe Child, they agreed to distribute gunlocks and avoid tragedies like the one that occurred in this city on September 25th. According to police, a 10-year-old child lost his life by a self-inflicted gunshot, the gun was registered to the boy's father.
"This is something that happened that really did not need to happen," said North Miami Mayor
Alix Desulme who echoed the message by Chief of Police Gause because of a similar incident that occurred in S.W. Miami Dade in September. A 3-year-old cousin accidentally shot in the hand when she picked up a gun that was left on a couch by her cousin.
"What I urge gun owners to do is to secure them safely so that we don't have to have incidents where we lose individuals from accidental shootings," said North Miami Police Chief Gause.
The only requirement to get a free gunlock is to come in person to North Miami City Police at 700 N.E. 124th Street.
The person does not have to reside in the city. Currently, there are 1,000 safety kits containing gunlocks and educational brochures to be distributed.