Posted on 07/09/2002 7:41:52 AM PDT by LurkedLongEnough
As part of a national program called Project HomeSafe, free gun locks were handed out Monday in Danbury.
Lt. Gov. M. Jodi Rell, spoke briefly to local gun owners.
DANBURY — As New Milford resident John Busch’s 18-month-old daughter starts to "get out and about,” he is starting to worry that she might discover the guns he and his wife own.
So when he heard gun locks would be handed out for free on Monday, he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to pick up several.
The gun locks were given out as part of a national program called Project HomeSafe, designed to help prevent gun-related accidents. The Project HomeSafe van, which project spokesman Gil Kalbus was manning Monday, will make 28 stops in 18 municipalities in the state this summer.
Since Sept. 11, more and more Connecticut residents appear to be purchasing guns.
The state police have noticed a huge jump in requests for gun permit applications since the terrorist attacks on New York and the Pentagon, a factor that Kalbus and others attribute to insecurity over personal safety.
"Sept. 11 brought it home,” Kalbus said. "Before, everything was happening in Israel, in Bosnia, and this really hammered it home.”
The tragedy of Sept. 11 also made people realize that they weren’t safe in their own back yards; they could be mingling with terrorists at the gym or at the local hot spot and not even know it, Kalbus said.
Sgt. Edward Lopes, the community relations officer for the Danbury Police Department, added that many people who have been buying guns over the past several months are buying them for use at home, not for sporting activities.
"A lot of people want to feel more secure in their own house,” Lopes said.
State police spokesman Sgt. Paul Vance agreed residents are likely in a gun-buying mood because of the "fear factor.”
Vance said no matter what the reason, gun owners should lock their firearms.
"Hopefully, this will prevent children from dying,” Vance said.
He said gun permit requests have risen 457 percent in Connecticut since Sept. 11. In January 2001, 361 new permits were given out, and in January 2002, 851 permits were written. In February 2001, 314 were written, and in February 2002, the amount was 689.
The program was developed by the Newtown-based National Shooting Sports Foundation, a trade association for the shooting sports industry.
The locks will be handed out again on Friday from noon to 6 p.m. at the Community Service Building in Danbury, which is on Main Street near the police station.
Most of those who purchased guns after Sept. 11 weren’t among the hundreds who turned out on Monday, said Lopes. Partly because beginning in 2000 all gun manufacturers began selling locks with their guns.
Busch bought his guns years ago. He and his wife used them frequently while target shooting with each other or with friends. But since his daughter, Skylar, was born, the guns have not been used.
"Right now, I haven’t used them in so long I wonder why I have them anymore,” Busch said. "Now that she’s getting into things, I thought I’d pick up some of these locks. She’s only going to be getting older.’’
One reason some people might have refrained from buying locks for all their guns in the past is the cost. Kalbus said the locks normally cost about $14 each.
Lopes said he hopes the people who came out Monday put their locks to use right away. The locks are "a great tool and a great safety device, but they have to use it,” he said.
The locks given out Monday fit about 90 percent of the firearms in circulation, Kalbus said.
Sal Enteado, a retired Danbury cop, also picked some up Monday.
"I had older locks, but these are better than what I had,” Enteado said.
The program is being paid for by the federal government, and is endorsed by the National Conference of Lieutenant Governors.
On hand briefly Monday was Lt. Gov. M. Jodi Rell, who said "an unlocked gun is an invitation to tragedy.”
"We’ve seen or read too many heartbreaking stories about children finding unlocked guns in their homes and using them as a toy, with tragic consequences,” she said.
Would be burglars, if you hear a slide being operated, a bolt pulled back, or a shell being pumped into the chamber it will be from some bad movie playing on the TV. Otherwise, the first (and hopefully the last) sound you hear will be a hammer falling....
Two exceptions to that rule.
1] The lock may prevent you from defending yourself and your family.
And:
2] The wrong lock may not prevent a loaded gun from being fired, thus defeating the stated intent of the lock - the safety of innocents.
I have seen guns with these so-called locks in place fire without a problem. My advice is to educate your children and not rely on some false sense of protection.
Right. Even the right lock may well fire a loaded gun, if it's a trigger lock. These are not designed for loaded guns. Let's say you have a Glock or a loaded revolver - the last thing the "destructions" tell you to do is to wiggle the lock vigorously to ensure it's tight enough. If it isn't and there's a cartridge under the striker (or hammer, respectively) you may hear a loud noise that you won't like. Personally I find a lock-box a much better solution. Lots quicker to access your firearm and you can keep it loaded, cocked, and locked in perfect safety.
Some, such as the cable locks offered by Mossberg [and included with Mossberg police-issue riot guns, BTW] are quite useful for that.
Others,. such as the ones that jam the triggerguard, are not only less polyvalent foor such other uses, but are also less effective for securing unattended weapons. The triggerguard-type units are useful for handguns and other weapons stored or left in padded cases, in which some of the cable-type locking devices won't fit.
I think a few of those I favour might well be in that 10%:
I've argued that trigger locks are inherently unsafe for this very reason. They violate one of the most important rules of firearm safety -- nothing ever goes inside the trigger guard but your trigger finger. These things are an accident waiting to happen, since I guarantee you a frighteningly large number of people using them have no concept of what a "chamber check" is. I immediately consider anyone who suggests such a device to be someone I will NOT be taking firearms advice from.
Click here
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.