Decatur organization launches gun safety lock box giveaway to help prevent youth violence

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) — Community leaders in Decatur are hoping a new gun safety initiative can help prevent tragedy before it happens.

Old King's Orchard Community Center is partnering with the City of Decatur for a gun safety lock box giveaway from 9:30 a.m. to noon Saturday at OKOCC. The event will provide families with secure firearm storage devices designed to keep guns out of the hands of children and prevent accidental shootings. The event will also include gun safety education, demonstrations and free food for families.

The event will also include hamburgers, hot dogs and activities for children while parents participate in the safety course.

Leaders behind the event said the idea grew out of ongoing conversations about gun violence in Decatur and ways to address the issue.

“We started really thinking about what we could do about gun violence in this community,” said Michael Karas, C.O.O. of OKOCC. “The goal of this event is to stop shootings that are started in the home ... that doesn’t mean there's violence in the home. It means the object that can create violence is in the home. We are trying to stop unintended shootings or access to weapons that start gun violence.”

Karas, who is also a gun owner, said the giveaway will focus on distributing compact firearm lock boxes made by StopBoxUSA, a company specializing in gun safety devices. Unlike traditional safes that rely on batteries or keys, lock boxes use a customizable mechanical code system designed for quick access while still keeping firearms secure.

He explained many firearm owners already receive cable locks when purchasing guns, but said those devices are not always practical for families wanting both safety and accessibility.

The initiative comes after multiple shootings in Decatur involving young people, something organizers said has deeply affected the community. Leaders pointed specifically to violence that has hit close to home.

Devon Joyner, executive director of OKOCC, said the organization studies violent incidents closely and identifies practical ways to intervene.

“So our main goal is to change the mindset of the community, to get people reengaged, to get the movers moving in a positive direction and to deter some of the tragic events that are happening in the streets,” Joyner said. “Keeping the guns out of the streets, out of the hands of our youth, is a solution.”

Joyner acknowledged there is no single answer to ending gun violence, but said organizers believe even one prevented tragedy makes the effort worthwhile.

“You cannot put a worth on saving a life,” Joyner said.

Organizers said the event is not simply a handout. Families receiving a lock box will participate in a short firearm safety course and product demonstration led in partnership with the Decatur Police Department.

"They’re actually coming in to do a short, very short gun safety course, 15 to 30 minutes long," Karas said.

Families must show proof that they live in the Decatur area and that they have children or grandchildren connected to local schools. Organizers stressed the goal is not enforcement or firearm registration, but ensuring the resources stay within the community.

"The ultimate goal of this is to get the devices into the hands of the community," Karas explained.

The lock boxes will be available through a donation-based model with a minimum contribution of $1. Organizers said every dollar donated will help purchase additional safety devices in the future.

“If we have 75 of these on site that day to give out, we just bought another device that could save a child’s life,” Karas said.

Will Smith, program director for OKOCC, said safe storage is only one piece of a much larger issue facing communities nationwide. He said violence prevention must also include mentorship, education and addressing the environments that many children return home to every day.

“These kids are running up and down the street. They have nothing else to do,” Smith said. “The trouble that’s present now is not like the trouble that was present back in 1988 or 1999. It’s a different trouble lurking around now.”

Smith said many young people grow up surrounded by violence and see guns as protection rather than danger.

“I don’t think it’s out of being tough,” he explained. “They are afraid that if I don’t use this weapon, I’m going to lose my life.”

Community leaders involved in the initiative repeatedly emphasized the importance of collaboration between nonprofits, police, city leaders and residents.

“We have to become one team in moving forward," Joyner said.

Thomas Ellzey, gang coordinator at OKOCC, is working with the initiative. He said organizations cannot tackle violence alone and called for more community involvement.

“One organization cannot do it alone.”

Organizers said approximately 75 lock boxes will be available during the giveaway.