x
Breaking News
More () »

Lock box giveaway provides 'another piece of insurance' to prevent gun deaths

The rationale: like any other safety device, the lock box could save lives by adding a layer of protection.
The scene at Sportsman's Warehouse Saturday, where an event by Seattle Children's Hospital gave out 350 gun lock boxes. (Photo: Josh Farley / Kitsap Sun)

John Livingston was among hundreds of people who lined up out the door at Sportsman's Warehouse Saturday morning for the chance to get a free gun lock box.

A safe would prove too impractical should he need his gun in an emergency, the East Bremerton resident said. But he does worry about the possibility, however remote, of one of his children accidentally coming across a firearm.

"That's my biggest fear," said Livingston, who waited in line about an hour.

Seattle Children's Hospital, with help from CHI Franciscan, provided him one of 350 lock boxes and 50 trigger locks free of charge Saturday, with help from various community organizations. The rationale: like any other safety device, the lock box could save lives by adding a layer of protection.

"Just like you put a life jacket on to go out on the water, you put a seat belt on, you put a bike helmet on," said Elizabeth Bennett, Seattle Children's Hospital's director of community health. "When you lock up your firearm, you are creating a layer of protection that reduces the risk of injury and death."

Between 2009 and 2013, the state's Department of Health reported that 200 Washington youth, aged 19 and younger, died from injuries by firearms, whether by accident, suicide or homicide. King County Public Health, in gleaning 2015 data from the state, reported 39 firearms deaths to teens and children — roughly one every nine days in the state.

Part of the problem is that once the trigger is pulled, there's no undoing that action, said Dr. Mark Del Beccaro, Seattle Children's Hospital's chief medical officer.

"There's no take-back," he said.

Some in the long line arrived long before the store opened, in anticipation of a safety device that retails for $30-$40. Others just happened to be coming in for other shopping and jumped at the chance for the giveaway.

Since it began in 2014, Seattle Children's has given away nearly 3,800 lock boxes and 400 trigger locks.

"It's another piece of insurance," said Elliot Reist of Poulsbo, in line with his wife, Kendra, and their two young children. "If you can add a second layer of protection, it's worth it."

Before You Leave, Check This Out