Project ChildSafe Begins Second Phase of
Nationwide Firearm Safety Tour
More than 32 million gun locks will have been
distributed by the end of 2005
NEWTOWN, Conn. - Project ChildSafe, the nation’s largest firearm
safety education program, has begun the second phase of its nationwide campaign
to promote safe and responsible gun ownership and storage. The program reminds
gun owners to take steps to prevent a loaded gun from falling into the hands
of a child, thereby preventing tragic accidents.
The current campaign will distribute over 12 million free firearm safety
kits and follows the successful Phase One distribution of 20 million firearm
safety kits over the past year to all 50 states. Each firearm safety kit
includes a cable-style gun lock and a firearm safety brochure.
Project ChildSafe partners with governors, lieutenant governors, U.S. Attorneys,
mayors and local law enforcement agencies across the country to distribute
firearm safety kits free of charge to gun owners and to promote firearm
safety at the community level. The program will continue to work with these
officials and agencies as it begins the second phase of its distribution,
reaching millions more gun owners with key safety messages.
Project ChildSafe was created and is managed by the National Shooting Sports
Foundation (NSSF), the firearm industry’s trade association. Founded
in 1961, the NSSF manages a variety of outreach programs with special emphasis
on safety initiatives.
“There continues to be a significant demand for firearm safety education
across America and we are pleased that Project ChildSafe is able to meet
that demand with millions of additional free firearm safety kits,” said
Doug Painter, president of the National Shooting Sports Foundation. “We
are continuing to remind gun owners that their most important responsibility
is to know how to safely handle and properly store their firearms in the
home.”
Phase two of Project ChildSafe is funded by two grants from the U.S. Department
of Justice that total $30 million. These two grants will fund the program
from September 1, 2004, through August 31, 2005. Phase one of Project ChildSafe
was funded by a $50 million U.S. Department of Justice grant.
Project ChildSafe is a component of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a gun-violence
prevention initiative of the US Department of Justice and the Bush
Administration. More information about Project Safe Neighborhoods can
be found on the Internet at www.projectsafeneighborhoods.com.
Additional information about NSSF can be found at www.nssf.org.
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