The Los Angeles County Division of Public Well being held a free gun security lock distribution occasion, distributing roughly 60,000 locks on APRIL 2, 2024 in Downey CA. (Photograph by John McCoy, Contributing Photographer)
Los Angeles County well being officers on Tuesday, April 2 began a program that can distribute 60,000 gun security locks to the general public without cost.
“Too many households have skilled the horrible ache of shedding a baby or teenager to gun violence,” mentioned Barbara Ferrer, the county's director of Public Well being, in an announcement. “In plenty of these instances, the easy act of locking up and safely storing firearms would have prevented a tragedy. Selling a tradition of security in the neighborhood begins with easy steps like securing firearms and shield our kids.”
The distribution effort, led by the County Workplace of Violence Prevention within the Division of Public Well being, will initially supply free lockers at six medical amenities:
– Harbor-UCLA Medical Middle;
– Excessive Desert Regional Well being Middle;
– Los Angeles Common Medical Middle;
– Martin Luther King Jr. Ambulatory Middle;
– Olive View-UCLA Medical Middle; and
– Rancho Los Amigos Nationwide Rehabilitation Middle.
Later this 12 months, the locks will probably be obtainable at county libraries.
The Board of Trustees voted late final 12 months to advance a program for the free distribution of the units.
“Gun locks can save lives — particularly in households with kids,” Supervisor Janice Hahn mentioned in an announcement after that vote. “Some research have discovered that individuals are extra possible to make use of gun locks if they’re given by their physician or in a medical middle to take house and I believe it’s a idea that we should always probe for our County hospitals” .
In line with the county's Division of Public Well being, a baby is killed or injured by gun violence in Los Angeles County each 30 hours, with a few of these accidents blamed on weapons that have been left loaded or unlocked. Well being officers additionally mentioned that in 2022, there will probably be greater than 300 gun-related suicides within the county.
“If weapons will not be saved or locked up securely, it will probably result in devastating and deadly penalties,” Supervisor Hilda Solis mentioned after the council's November vote. “Gun homeowners can assume that their households know the right way to deal with a gun, nonetheless, if it isn’t saved safely or locked up, it can lead to critical harm or loss of life. Hospitals are the place many individuals find yourself victims, and due to this fact, we will use the chance to teach and supply a tangible useful resource to raised shield them and their households from weapons – gun locks.
