DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) — Community leaders in Decatur started a new gun safety initiative, with hopes that it can help prevent tragedy before it happens.
Old King's Orchard Community Center partnered with the City of Decatur for a gun safety lock box giveaway on Saturday at OKOCC. They provided families with secure firearm storage devices designed to keep guns out of the hands of children and prevent accidental shootings.
Devon Joyner, Executive Director of OKOCC, said that collaboration between local agencies is vital to enacting positive change in the community. "There's a lot of divisiveness in our country right now. That's a barrier to making things go well for our children. Moving forward, we have to teach them how to work together. Each entity out here, instead of attacking, we need to figure out a way on how we ask a community to move as a unit to help our kids." he said.
The compact firearm lock boxes are made by StopBoxUSA. Unlike a traditional safe that relies on batteries or keys, lock boxes use a customizable hand-gesture code system designed for quick access, while still keeping firearms secure.
Families who received a lock box participated in a firearm safety course and product demonstration led in partnership with the Decatur Police Department.
Families had to show proof that they live in the Decatur area and that they have children or grandchildren connected to local schools.
The lock boxes were available through a donation-based model with a minimum contribution of $1.
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