City Handing Out Free Gun Locks

The story is all too common: a child gets ahold of a gun and accidentally shoots a friend or sibling.

In 2020, it happened at least 369 times according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. In 2021, it happened at least twice in Milwaukee. A 4-year-old boy in Walker’s Point accidentally shot his 2-year-old brother in the chest, killing him. A 3-year-old boy in the Merrill Park neighborhood accidentally shot and killed himself.

Milwaukee officials held a press conference Monday morning to announce an effort to not only stop those incidents from happening, but discourage other shootings. The city and a series of nonprofit partners are giving away free gun locks to anyone who wants one. The announcement comes as the city is on pace for a third-consecutive year of record-breaking homicide totals. Gun violence typically spikes as warmer weather sets in.

“We simply ask that if you got it, lock it,” said United Neighborhood Centers of Milwaukee Executive Director Renee Logee.

The cable lock, which requires a key to open, runs through the chamber of the weapon.

Holding his fingers an inch apart, Milwaukee Fire Department (MFD) Chief Aaron Lipski noted that the time it takes to unlock the weapon would prevent someone from jumping from being angry to shooting someone. “We are adding another few seconds of consideration that fatal violence may not be the answer,” said the chief.

“Reducing violence includes not just police, it includes prevention and education and intervention,” said Mayor Cavalier Johnson. “I want every reasonable taken step to prevent these sort of tragedies from happening here in Milwaukee… If you own a gun, it needs to be locked, point blank, plain and simple.” He said the locks would also deter thefts.

“We understand that the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) cannot take on the challenge alone,” said Police Chief Jeffrey Norman. “This is a tool amongst many tools.”

“Nobody up here is under the illusion that there is a catch-all solution to turn the tide overnight,” said Lipski.

Office of Violence Prevention community outreach specialist Vaynesia Kendrick said the gun locks would also deter suicides.

The locks are available from the MFD, including on fire trucks, the Milwaukee Health Department, and a number of nonprofit partners (listed below). They are being provided via a grant to MPD by Project ChildSafe, a program of the National Shooting Sports Foundation. The organization has previously donated gun locks to the city.

An MPD representative told Urban Milwaukee that at least 200 locks were received and if more were needed the department would be able to get them.

The press conference was held at the Silver Spring Neighborhood Center, 5460 N. 64th St., one of the distribution points for the gun locks.

Giveaway Locations

• All Milwaukee Fire Department stations
• Southside Health Center – 1640 S. 24th St.
• Northwest Health Center – 7630 W. Mill Rd.
• Keenan Health Center – 3200 N. 36th St.
• UNCOM – 1609 W. North Ave.
• City on a Hill – 2224 W. Kilbourn Ave.
• Milwaukee Christian Center – 807 S. 14th St.
• Neighborhood House of Milwaukee – 2819 W. Richardson Pl.
• Neu-Life Community Development – 2014 W. North Ave.
• Silver Spring Neighborhood Center – 5460 N. 64th St.