Philly Law Enforcement Handing Out Free Gun Locks
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --Philadelphia law enforcement officials will be handing out free gun locks Monday to people who own guns legally or illegally as part of a new city law requiring safe storage for guns and to help promote National Night Out on Tuesday.
Sheriff Jewell Williams says city officials will be at two locations tonight at Fair Hill Square Park at 4th and Lehigh between 5 and 8 p.m. and at Rose Playground at North 75th and Lansdowne between 6 and 8 p.m.
"We'll probably give out 500 or more but we have several thousand that we have secured and we continue to buy them and get people to donate them to us."
Shira Goodman of Cease Fire PA says a similar law is in effect in Massachusetts and has reduced the number of children and teen suicides and accidental shootings.
"It just takes a few seconds to unlock that gun, but for the person who is contemplating suicide, or angry, or is depressed, at that moment, the couple seconds it takes to unlock that gun could mean the difference between their life and death or somebody elses."
Everytown for Gun Safety, an anti-gun group, says last year, 265 children shot themselves or another person.