NEWTOWN, Conn. – Project ChildSafe® and the National Shooting Sports Foundation® (NSSF®) are emphasizing gun safety as a critical part of home safety as National Safety Month kicks off, and as the nationwide surge in firearm sales continues and includes millions of first-time buyers.
“With the start of June and National Safety Month, now is a good time to remind existing and new gun owners of the importance of securely storing firearms when not in use,” said Joe Bartozzi, NSSF’s President and CEO. “Particularly with children continuing to be at home and many parents returning to work as states open back up, it’s important we all take steps to practice firearm safety as part of our broader home safety efforts.”
Project ChildSafe recently launched a social media campaign with reminders on general home safety tips, including storing firearms responsibly when not in use, with links to resources on how to do so.
“As gun owners, we want to help minimize demands on health care workers and first responders by emphasizing home safety, and firearm safety in particular, so together we can help prevent accidents,” Bartozzi said.
There is also a new section on the Project ChildSafe website specifically for new gun owners, along with a robust resource library of videos, infographics, tip sheets, quizzes and other materials gun owners can use, discuss with their families and friends and share on their own social media pages, blogs and websites.
“As gun owners we all have a responsibility to learn how to use and secure firearms responsibly,” Bartozzi said. “A big part of that responsibility also involves passing that knowledge on to others – it’s the best thing we can do to protect the people we love.”
The complete Project ChildSafe library of firearm safety tools includes a vast array of resources, such as:
Videos
- Many Paths to Firearm Safety
- Talking With Kids About Gun Safety
- “Molly’s Mischief” featuring McGruff the Crime Dog (For children in grades Pre-K through 4)
- “Not Cool Kyle” featuring McGruff the Crime Dog (For children in grades K through 6)
- Introduction to Range Safety and Etiquette
Interactive Content
- Firearm Storage and Safety Assessment Quiz
- Myth Busters Quiz
- Project ChildSafe Child’s Pledge
- The Road to Responsible Gun Ownership
Brochures and Tip Sheets
- Firearms Safety in Vehicles
- Safe Storage Options for Your Lifestyle
- 10 Tips for Firearms Safety in Your Home
- Firearms Responsibility in the Home
- Firearms and Suicide Prevention
About Project ChildSafe®: The National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association of the firearms industry, launched Project ChildSafe in 1999 (originally as Project HomeSafe). Since then, the program has provided more than 38 million free firearm safety kits and gun locks to firearm owners in all 50 states through partnerships with thousands of law enforcement agencies across the country. That’s in addition to the more than 70 million free locking devices manufacturers have included, and continue to include, with new firearms sold since 1998. While helping to prevent accidents among children is a focus, Project ChildSafe is intended to help adults practice greater firearm safety in the home. More information is available at projectchildsafe.org.
NSSF®: The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of thousands of manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers nationwide. For more information, visit nssf.org .
