State, federal officials praise free gun lock program

<p>Nearly 900,000 free gun locks have been distributed in Georgia over the past two years as part of a national firearms safety campaign, state and federal officials said Friday.</p><p>"I am sure that as I stand here today, there is a child somewhere in Macon or Savannah or Atlanta who is playing, who will have dinner with their mom and dad tonight because of Project Child Safe," Lisa Wood, the U.S. attorney for the southern district of Georgia said at a Capitol news conference.</p><p>"That's the essence, that's the power of this program. It saves children," she said.</p><p>A nationwide program developed by the National Shooting Sports Foundation and funded with $80 million grants from the U.S. Department of Justice, Project Child Safe makes the gun locks available to local law enforcement authorities who, in turn, give them free to anyone who wants one.</p><p>No questions are asked and there are no forms to fill out, said Steve Alger, government relations director for the program. Locks still are available from many local police agencies, he said.</p><p>Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor, a strong backer of the program along with the National Lieutenant Gov.'s Association, said, "We are committed to the idea that Georgia can be a safer place."</p><p>He added, "Unnecessary, tragic accidents involving our children and firearms can be eliminated by a commitment to gun safety education, a commitment to the use of gun safety locks and a commitment to storing firearms and ammunition in a child-safe place in our homes."</p><p>Program organizers shipped 513,000 free locks to Georgia last year and another 350,000 this year. The locks would retail for $10, and can be used to prevent the accidental firing of semiautomatic pistols, revolvers, rifles or shotguns, Alger said.</p><p>David Nahmias, the U.S. attorney for the northern district of Georgia, said the program works hand-in-hand with Project Safe Neighborhoods, designed to put the most dangerous criminals in prison.</p><p>"A death or injury resulting from unsafe firearms storage or from the mishandling of firearms due to inadequate training is just as real and just as tragic as a death or injury resulting from a violent criminal act," he said.</p><p>Across the country, some 30 million gunlocks have been distributed. Each state's share is based on a population formula.</p>

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