Los Angeles County is expanding its gun safety program by giving away free gun locks at five library branches, the county announced on Monday, June 3.
Gun locks and gun safety literature are available at the following L.A. County library locations:
• Compton, 240 W. Compton Blvd, Compton, CA 90220
• Lancaster, 601 W. Lancaster Blvd., Lancaster, CA 93534
• Norwalk, 12350 Imperial Highway, Norwalk, CA 90650
• Rosemead, 8800 Valley Blvd., Rosemead, CA 91770
• San Fernando, 217 N. Maclay Ave., San Fernando, CA 91340
Gun locks will be given out no questions asked. No names or identification will be taken, said the county. A person asking for a gun lock does not need a library card, the county said.
A gun lock, also known as a gun cable lock, gun safety lock or firearm lock, is a device that is designed to prevent the unauthorized use of a gun.
“Gun locks can save lives, especially in households with children,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn, who represents the Fourth District, in a prepared statement.
“The simple act of locking and safely storing firearms can prevent a tragedy that far too many families have experienced,” said Barbara Ferrer, director of the L.A. County Department of Public Health in a written statement.
In Los Angeles County, a child is killed or injured by gun violence every 30 hours. In 2022, more than 800 L.A. County residents died due to gun violence, and of those 313 were due to suicides, the county reported.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, between 2003 and 2021, accidental gun deaths of children ages 17 and under were most likely to happen in a house or apartment; 56% occurred in a child’s home.
Putting a cable lock on a firearm is part of the county’s effort to get gun owners to safely store guns so that they don’t get into the wrong hands. Part of gun-safety education practice includes locking the gun, as well as storing the gun unloaded, and separate from ammunition.
Gun Ownership in the U.S.: Insights from a Pew Research Center Survey
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