Dublin OKs Gun Storage Regulations; Offers Free Trigger Locks

DUBLIN, CA — The city of Dublin passed gun storage regulations in December and is now offering free trigger locks to residents.

The city sought to protect kids and other unauthorized gun users from hurting themselves by enacting an ordinance that required guns to be stored in locked containers or disabled with a trigger lock. There is an exception for peace officers and people who are lawfully carrying guns on their person.

More than half of all gun owners surveyed in a 2016 study published in the American Journal of Public Health said they did not lock up all of their guns, according to a report from city staff.

The city cited in its ordinance a report from pro-gun control group Everytown Research and Policy, which found that there were 236 accidental shootings by kids nationwide in 2020. Those shootings resulted in 102 deaths and 141 injuries, including seven shootings by California kids which resulted in two deaths and five injuries, according to the city ordinance.

The ordinance went into effect Jan. 14, 30 days after the council gave its approval in December.

Now, Dublin gun owners can pick up a free trigger lock from the Dublin Police Services building at 6361 Clark Ave.

Sgt. Chris Shepard has demonstrated how to use the trigger locks in a video:

Read the ordinance here.

Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the name of the officer performing the trigger lock demonstration.