2008 Woodie Awards
Complimentary Handgun Locks Provided
School emphasizes child safety
Kristi Scott
Issue date: 10/26/05 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
Complementary gun locks are available in the campus Security Office for distribution to Citrus College students.
Project Child Safe, a nationwide program to help promote responsible firearms ownership and storage, provided the 300 locks.
Children are the focus of this safety effort.
"We hear so many stories about children accidentally shooting a friend in their home," said Tony Giannone, security supervisor at Citrus College. "It's important for gun owners to keep their families safe."
For people ages 0-19, guns used in 72 percent of unintentional firearm deaths, injuries, suicide attempts and completions were stored in the residence of the victim, their relative, or their friend, according to a study published in the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine.
Gun safety is not an abstract issue, but a problem that touches close to home.
In Jan. 2004, a teen from Claremont-a city in the district of Citrus College-was shot by a younger family member while a guardian was showing the boys a firarm. He thought the gun was empty, but was deadly wrong. The life of Christopher Berglund, an 18-year-old Claremont High School basketball player, was cut off in an instant. And though it was not his fault, the other youngster was left to face inevitable guilt.
"It's a horrible tragic situation and certainly lessons can be learned from what occurred..." said Claremont Police Lieutenant Stan Van Horn in an interview with the Inland Daily Valley Bulletin.
Many believe the importance of gunlocks are just such a lesson.
The gun lock giveaway program was developed by the National Shooting Sports Foundation and is supported by a US Department of Justice grant.
The locks were delivered free-of-charge to the Security Department at Citrus College and several other law enforcement and security agencies.
"It's good that our campus is focusing on gun safety," said David Ramirez, 17, a psychology major.
Each lock can be secured through the ejection port or cylinder chamber of a firearm. The device is a cable-style gun lock that meets the American Society for Testing and Materials current testing protocol standard.
Cable locks require that many types of firearms be unloaded before the cable lock is installed, providing an extra level of safety.
It is still the owner's responsibility to keep the gun from being stolen.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that the FBI's National Crime Information Center stolen gun file contains more than 2 million reports.
Citrus students may pick up free locks for friends and family members also. No paperwork is required. Two keys and an accompanying pamphlet with instructions on how to use the lock will be provided.
"People who have children should really take advantage of the lock," said Crystal Luna, 18, a childcare major.
Project Child Safe, a nationwide program to help promote responsible firearms ownership and storage, provided the 300 locks.
Children are the focus of this safety effort.
"We hear so many stories about children accidentally shooting a friend in their home," said Tony Giannone, security supervisor at Citrus College. "It's important for gun owners to keep their families safe."
For people ages 0-19, guns used in 72 percent of unintentional firearm deaths, injuries, suicide attempts and completions were stored in the residence of the victim, their relative, or their friend, according to a study published in the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine.
Gun safety is not an abstract issue, but a problem that touches close to home.
In Jan. 2004, a teen from Claremont-a city in the district of Citrus College-was shot by a younger family member while a guardian was showing the boys a firarm. He thought the gun was empty, but was deadly wrong. The life of Christopher Berglund, an 18-year-old Claremont High School basketball player, was cut off in an instant. And though it was not his fault, the other youngster was left to face inevitable guilt.
"It's a horrible tragic situation and certainly lessons can be learned from what occurred..." said Claremont Police Lieutenant Stan Van Horn in an interview with the Inland Daily Valley Bulletin.
Many believe the importance of gunlocks are just such a lesson.
The gun lock giveaway program was developed by the National Shooting Sports Foundation and is supported by a US Department of Justice grant.
The locks were delivered free-of-charge to the Security Department at Citrus College and several other law enforcement and security agencies.
"It's good that our campus is focusing on gun safety," said David Ramirez, 17, a psychology major.
Each lock can be secured through the ejection port or cylinder chamber of a firearm. The device is a cable-style gun lock that meets the American Society for Testing and Materials current testing protocol standard.
Cable locks require that many types of firearms be unloaded before the cable lock is installed, providing an extra level of safety.
It is still the owner's responsibility to keep the gun from being stolen.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that the FBI's National Crime Information Center stolen gun file contains more than 2 million reports.
Citrus students may pick up free locks for friends and family members also. No paperwork is required. Two keys and an accompanying pamphlet with instructions on how to use the lock will be provided.
"People who have children should really take advantage of the lock," said Crystal Luna, 18, a childcare major.