Police stop giving away gun locks

Web posted October 12, 2000

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By Greg Rickabaugh
South Carolina Bureau

AIKEN - The Aiken County Sheriff's Office has halted the distribution of free gun locks in response to reports from two law enforcement agencies that the devices can spring open.

The free locks, part of the national Project HomeSafe program, have been handed out to as many as 7,000 gun owners in the Aiken-Augusta area. Authorities in Richmond County said the Sheriff's Department had its supply depleted in January after distributing nearly 6,000 of the devices.

Aiken County sheriff's Lt. Michael Frank shows one of the safety locks under question. Distributor National Shooting Sports Foundation says it will perform further studies before taking action. RON COCKERILLE/STAFF

Aiken County gave out more than 900 but had about 60 left.

Last week, police in Knoxville and Chattanooga, Tenn., reported problems in the devices, which are distributed by the National Shooting Sports Foundation. A Knoxville police officer fiddling with one of the cable locks found that it would spring open when bounced against his hand.

``(We) have not received any reports of similar problems from citizens,'' Aiken County Sheriff Howard Sellers stated in a news release. ``Nevertheless, we will not distribute any more gun locks while the NSSF seeks additional information.''

But neither local nor national officials are ready to issue a recall of the devices until further study is performed by NSSF. The foundation is in the process of testing and evaluating a sample of cable locks and plans to make a decision within a week regarding future distributions.

``Any firearm safety device can be defeated,'' Sheriff Sellers stated. ``Responsible handling and storage is the best way to prevent unauthorized use of a firearm.''

This week, officials in the Aiken-Augusta area conducted their own unscientific testing of the devices - banging them against their hands and yanking at them. The locks remained intact.

``I've tried everything, short of going out in the street and beating on it,'' said Mark Gibbons, assistant to Augusta Mayor Bob Young, who helped to launch a successful giveaway program last year.

Mr. Gibbons advised gun owners who received the cable locks to keep them on the weapons. Children who see the device on a gun are likely to not tamper with it, he said.

``It wasn't a perfect stop anyway,'' he said. ``At least it will slow down children's desire. So, it served its purpose.''

Singer James Brown donated money to pay for the first 1,000 gun locks. With a donation from the local chapter of the American Society for Industrial Security, city officials ordered even more locks, which were distributed by the Richmond County Sheriff's Department. Augusta was on a waiting list for more of the devices, but the NSSF has suspended the program until testing is complete.

Project HomeSafe began about a year ago, with the NSSF promoting it as a way for gun owners to feel more sure that their weapons are safe from children. The cable locks, which differ from trigger locks, are pulled through gun handles or barrels to prevent the weapon from being fired or loaded.

Associated Press reports were used in this article.

Reach Greg Rickabaugh at (803) 648-1395.

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