TAMPA, Fla. — The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office just launched an initiative that it hopes will help curb the recent increase in cases involving kids and guns.
Hillsborough Sheriff Chad Chronister says we’ve seen it too many times in our area lately, a child getting hold of an improperly secured firearm, shooting themselves or someone else.
“Sadly, we have witnessed devastating consequences of children accessing unsecured guns or when a distressed child brings a firearm to school,” said Chronister.
To address the problem, HCSO has launched a new program offering free gun trigger locks and gun vaults – or lock boxes - to people living in Hillsborough County.
“Ensuring that firearms are kept out of the reach of children should be a shared concern for everyone,” said Chronister.
HCSO says the trigger locks and gun vaults will be proactively distributed while deputies are investigating school-based threats, but they’ll also provide them to any Hillsborough resident who asks for one.
“It’s just good to have control over access to the firearms,” said Chester Stone.
Stone says just a few months ago a nine-year-old child shot an eight-year-old in his Tampa neighborhood.
He hopes people will take the sheriff’s office up on its offer.
“It’s crazy, man,” said Stone. “We’ve got to do something about this.”
Gun safety advocates think it’s a good idea, too.
Recent statistics show about one-third of American households with children under 18 have at least one firearm and that many of those are not stored safely.
With the end of the school year approaching, the timing of the initiative is also important.
Research shows unintentional child shootings happen more frequently on weekends and in months when kids are out of school.
Those interested in obtaining one of the free trigger locks or gun vaults should contact HCSO’s Community Outreach Division.
For now, the program is offering one lock or gun vault per household.
It applies to anyone living in Hillsborough County including cities like Tampa and Temple Terrace.