The Kimball Police Department has 1,500 free firearm safety kits available for local residents through a partnership with Project ChildSafe, the nationwide firearms safety education program. Everyone in the area is welcome to pick up a firearm safety kit at the Kimball City Office at 1 North Main Street. There is a limit of three kits for each family. The safety kits are intended to reduce the risk of firearm-related unintentional injuries or deaths, by making firearm owners fully aware of their responsibility to handle firearms safely and store them securely. “We encourage residents to pick up a Project ChildSafe safety kit so that they can securely store their firearm,” said Kimball Officer Brian Stiles. “Each kit contains safety curriculum and a cable-style gun lock. The locks fit most types of handguns, rifles and shotguns. The goal is to prevent a child or any other unauthorized person(s) fram accessing a firearm in your home.” Cable locks require many types of firearms to be unloaded before the lock is installed, providing an extra level of safety. The locks are intended to provide an effective barrier against young children accessing a firearm in the home. However, they are not intended to withstand forced entry by an individual determined to defeat the lock by using tools or other aggressive means. Project ChildSafe, a program developed by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), will distribute millions of firearm safety kits throughout the country over the next year. The program is funded by a United States Department of Justice grant, with additional funding provided by the firearms industry. By partnering with Project ChildSafe, the Kimball Police Department is participating in a growing nationwide effort to promote firearm safety education to all gun owners. Project ChildSafe will distribute gun lock safety kits within all 50 states and the five United States territories. “We are pleased to have the Kimball Police Department as a Project ChildSafe partner,” said progra, spokesperson Dee Dee Dockins. “Project ChildSafe is an important step forward in helping ensure that all firearm owners fully understand their responsibilities with respect to the safe handling and storage of firearms.”
