Safe Gun Storage Saves Lives campaign gives away free gun locks
AUSTIN, Texas - A new Safe Gun Storage Saves Lives campaign is bringing education and free gun locks to Central Texas. Billboards and bus ads with more information will be seen around the Austin area during SXSW, starting on March 14.
The campaign is reportedly a first-of-its-kind collaboration spearheaded by Lock Arms for Life that includes the Texas Department of Public Safety, Austin Police Department, Austin Public Health Office of Violence Prevention, Travis County District Attorney's Office, and Texas Gun Sense.
Austin Public Health and Lock Arms for Life will supply free gun locks to any City of Austin resident who visits the SafeGunStorageSavesLives.org website and completes a form.
"Safely storing firearms is critical in the prevention of accidents and deaths in our city," said Lock Arms for Life Director Leesa Ross, who founded the organization after losing her college-age son Jon to a gun tragedy when he was away at school.
His death would have been preventable had the firearm been stored safely.
"This pilot program brings together key organizations in the Austin community that have stepped up to spread awareness that safe gun storage saves lives," said Ross, "We hope this is a blueprint for how many levels of government and community organizations can work together to make homes safer."
Nationally, more than half of all gun owners store at least one gun unsafely. And, according to the CDC, in 2019, 3,683 deaths in Texas were due to firearms – above the national rate and rising each year since 2011.
"We all have a responsibility to prevent gun violence in our community. Gun owners make our communities safer when they safely store their firearms. By raising awareness about the need for safe storage of firearms, we can prevent unintentional shootings," said José Garza, Travis County District Attorney.
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