Posted on 03/24/2005 3:53:26 PM PST by MeneMeneTekelUpharsin
An $80 million federal grant program to distribute gun locks free for the protection of children appears to have pivoted off course since they're being used by farmers to keep their gates locked. "If you look from the road at farmers' gates, you can see them," Bedford County Sheriff's Detective Sgt. Chris Brown said today when asked about comments from Wartrace Town Hall Wednesday. Wartrace Town Clerk Kim Curbow said Project ChildSafe's cable-style gun locks "look like a lock you would use on a bicycle." She and Wartrace Police Chief Ben Burris agreed the locks would also work as a farm gate lock.
"That's true," Brown said when asked about the observation in Wartrace. "They do use them for that." Lawmen in Bedford County endorsed Project ChildSafe's goal -- protecting curious children from injury and/or death if they mishandle their parents' guns. However, two of the three law enforcement offices said they had locks left over from last year's distribution. Meanwhile, Wartrace has no trouble distributing the locks in its more rural area. For at least the second year in a row, Project ChildSafe visited Bedford County with boxes of hundreds, perhaps thousands of gun locks delivered to Shelbyville and Wartrace police and the Bedford County Sheriff's Department, the federally-funded organization said.
"Phase two of Project ChildSafe is funded by two grants from the U.S. Department of Justice that total $30 million," the group's press release reported. "These two grants will fund the program from Sept. 1, 2004, through Aug. 31, 2005. Phase one of Project ChildSafe was funded by a $50 million U.S. Department of Justice grant." Project ChildSafe's Tennessee media contact, Shannon Bichteman, at the group's headquarters in Albany, N.Y., was asked if she knew about use of the gun locks as fence gate locks. "Really?" Bichteman replied. "OK. That's not what they're intended for. We distribute them to the departments and let them distribute them and take the program in a direction they want." Burris spoke at length yesterday about gun safety and having some of the locks in his patrol car available if the subject is raised in conversation. Brown also endorsed gun safety, but with more locks than his department can distribute, he's tried to deal with that situation.
"I've called those people back and it' not like you can stop them," Brown said. "When they bring them, they bring 15-20 cases. I wouldn't mind taking some every year if we didn't have to take so many." Bedford lawmen are using lock displays provided with the locks. Steve Alger, national director of government relations for Project ChildSafe, acknowledged he has "heard of some isolated incidents" of misuse of the locks, "especially if they're put on gates." Five trucks are delivering the locks in Tennessee, Alger said "We come through once a year," he said. If a police department "had leftovers, we have other communities who are clamoring for more" locks.
Alger said he'd speak with Project ChildSafe's regional coordinator, Sarah Bowman, today at their offices in Albany about redistribution of an abundance of locks in parts of Tennessee. Shelbyville Police Chief Austin Swing said his department received more locks Wednesday morning. "We told them we didn't need them," Swing said. "We've got quite a few left." Wartrace has about 600 locks at Town Hall, the town clerk said. Head Start and day care centers will be notified of the locks' availability, said Town Recorder Laura Gentry. "They brought quite a few, so we were thinking about ways to distribute them," Gentry said. A sign is posted at the front of Wartrace Town Hall announcing the locks availability in the part of Bedford County where the sheriff's detective lives and where he has noticed gun locks on farm gates.
"But we've distributed over 30 million locks," Alger said. "If this was a significant problem you'd see them on every shed along the street. Obviously, there will be miscreants who will misuse them, but they're very few and far between." It's worse, he said, if someone has firearms and chooses to use the lock on a gate and not a gun, he said. That would be putting a locked gate above family safety. "That's sad," Alger said. Wartrace's police chief said at least 200 locks were distributed last year. The town's population is about 550. More locks were received Wednesday, and 500 could be distributed "easily" in less than a month, Burris said. "Most people who get them have small children," Burris said. "It could discourage them from picking up the gun but, of course, you have to teach them not to play with guns. The lock is a deterrent. It's not the only way to keep your kids safe. "Some people don't believe in these," he said. "They say that if they had to get the key and unlock it before somebody gets in, then it's not available for protection, but you've got to protect your kids from the gun." Project ChildSafe said the national Shooting Sports Foundation has partnered with local law enforcement agencies to distribute 285,000 gun locks in Tennessee. "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," said Doug Painter, president of the foundation, who emphasized safe gun storage and handling.
"How stupid."
You mean: "How typical."
The police dept. I work for is located in a university where it is illegal to own a gun within 1000 feet of campus. We got about 12 cases of these locks, but gave em to local departments because it would be strange to give them out on campus (where presumably no guns exist). We did, however, sequester a box or two for personal use. However, these locks aren't great for locking bikes or anything, the cables are easily cut I imagine, and are only good for keeping a firearm obviously inoperable.
I see these locks all over, on bikes, on a UPS van, on doors, whatever.
They probably should have stuck with trigger locks. /sar.
Man, that beats the stupid thing.
How is this different from other government give-aways? Food stamps are used for anything and everything, govt condoms are party decorations, low income housing used for drug sales.
"Miscreants"? Thats a funny word to haul out. I would say the real miscreants are those who participate in running the lock program.
What if you are just carrying it...for someone else?
I always thought that if they had a program like that around here I would get as many of the locks I could weld them togather and call it art and put in on the court house steps.
seems like locking your gate will help keep your kid from running into traffic. Cars kill!
I got a free cable-type gun lock from my local police department. I use it to lock my tool box.
Lot's of good ideas here. Beat throwing them away.
Anyone think I'd be so stupid as to put one of these on my gun? Hold up yer left hand, stand on one foot.
Dumb arse way to use tax money. I use mine for a doorknocker. I refuse to put one of the dang things on my handgun. Dumb idea if it is the one your life depends on. I personally think we should mail them all back the the Federal Government . Or why don't we melt them down and make a pro-gun statue and donate it to the UN.
An "I would really get a kick out of this if my taxes weren't paying for it" PING.
I feel virtuous LOL
Got a bunch of 'em here. Useful for all kinds of stuff. I figure that as long as some of my tax money is going toward this dumb program, whether I want it to or not: I GOT MINE!
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