(Wampsville, NY – Nov. 11, 2015) The Madison County Sheriff’s Office will provide free firearm safety kits to local residents through a partnership with Project ChildSafe, the nationwide firearms safety education program. The safety kits, which include a gun lock, will be distributed during normal business hours at the Madison County Sheriff’s Office headquarters in Wampsville.
Project ChildSafe, a program developed by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), has distributed more than 36 million firearm safety kits throughout the country since 2003. The program is supported by the firearms industry and donations by individuals and organizations.
“We encourage residents to pick up a Project ChildSafe safety kit so that they can securely store their firearm,” said Sheriff Allen Riley. “Each kit contains a safety curriculum and a cable-style gun lock. The locks fit on most types of handguns, rifles and shotguns. The goal is to prevent a child or other unauthorized person from accessing a firearm in your home.”
“We want to promote safe and responsible firearm handling and storage practices among all firearm owners in order to reduce the risk of tragic accidents, especially to young children,” Riley said. “To do this, we’ve partnered with Project ChildSafe to education firearm owners in Madison County by providing firearm safety education materials and free gun locks.”
By partnering with Project ChildSafe, the Madison County Sheriff’s Office is participating in a national effort to promote firearms safety education to all gun owners. Project ChildSafe has distributed gun lock safety kits to all 50 states and the five U.S. territories.
“We are pleased to have the Madison County Sheriff’s Office as a Project ChildSafe partner,” said Bill Brassard Jr., director of Project ChildSafe. “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.”
For more information on Project ChildSafe or any other community program offered by the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, contact Raymond Thielke in the Sheriff’s Community Services Office at (315) 366-2482 or by email at RaymondThielke@madisoncounty.ny.gov