The city of Lake Forest Park police department is gearing up to distribute free gun locks.
The city received about 1,000 locks two weeks ago, said police chief Dennis Peterson. The locks were received through Project ChildSafe.
The locks are available to anyone with a firearm at their residence, and are a padlock cable system that wraps around the gun and trigger system, he said.
“These locks normally sell for $20 to $30 in the store,” Peterson said.
The city received the locks last year as well, he said, although it is hard to judge the need in the area, despite the fact that there is a large number of gun permits issued.
“There are certainly a lot of gun owners in Washington state,” Peterson said. “It is all to do with prevention, so there are no accidents.”
Project ChildSafe, previously known as Project HomeSafe, is the largest firearm safety program in the country, said Cari Crockett, west coast program manager.
She said the organization does not keep statistics on how well the locks prevent gun-related injuries.
“How we do measure our success is by the many endorsements and thank-yous,” Crockett said. “The goal is to prevent a loaded firearm from getting into the hands of a child.”
Crockett said this year, 240,000 locks will be distributed in Washington state, for a two-year total of 570,000.
The locks are available at the Lake Forest Park Police Station at City Hall, located at 17425 Ballinger Way NE.
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