The Austin Police Department (APD) has partnered with other agencies to launch the new Safe Gun Storage Saves Lives campaign. The initiative began March 7, 2022, with billboards and bus ads connecting Central Texans to education and free gun locks to store firearms safely. The campaign is a first-of-its-kind collaboration spearheaded by Lock Arms for Life. It includes the Austin Police Department, Texas Department of Public Safety, Office of Violence Prevention, Travis County District Attorney Office, and Texas Gun Sense.
“Our officers respond to many accidents each year where a firearm is accidentally discharged,” said Austin Chief of Police Joseph Chacon. “Having firearms locked up safely would likely drastically reduce the number of accidents and tragedies in our city.”
More than half of all gun owners store at least one gun unsafely. According to the CDC, in 2019, 3,683 deaths in Texas were due to firearms. The agency says that’s above the national rate and rising each year since 2011.
The awareness campaign will continue throughout the month of March, 2022. For more information on safe gun storage, please visit SafeGunStorageSavesLive.
Friday, March 25, 2022
APD Partners in Safe Gun Storage Collaborative to bring education and free gun locks to Central Texas
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