Crime & Safety

Lock-It-Up Oakland Free Gun Lock Distribution Begins Friday

Oakland County has the second-highest number of concealed pistol licenses in the state, with 79,000.

About 30 Oakland County law enforcement agencies will this week begin distributing trigger locks in their communities as part of the new Lock-It-Up Oakland project aimed at curbing accidental shootings and increasing awareness of the importance of storing weapons in locked gun safe

The program, which will be officially launched at a news conference Tuesday, is funded with a $5,000 from the Oakland County Board of Commissioners.The news conference will take place at 2 p.m. in the Oakland County Board of Commissioners’ Auditorium, 1200 N. Telegraph Road, Pontiac.

Local police departments will begin the free distribution of gun locks on Friday, June 10. Officials have already distributed about 10,000 gun locks since 2014 in Oakland County, which has the second-highest number of concealed pistol licenses in the state, with 79,000.

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“Gun safety and curbing gun violence is a very important issue,” Commissioner Bill Dwyer  said in a statement. “We believe this work will help us save lives.”

Dwyer and Commissioner Marcia Gershenson led the bipartisan effort called “Curbing Gun Violence in Oakland County,” which includes members also includes commissioners Michael Spisz, Gary McGillivary, John Scott and Janet Jackson, as well as Public Service Committee members  John A. Scott and Eileen T. Kowall.

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“Gun violence continues to impact both urban and suburban communities,” Jackson said. “ I feel that any measure we can take to prevent senseless violence that addresses the issue is useful and beneficial to the overall community and our children.” 

The following police agencies will distribute gun locks:

  • The Oakland County Sheriff Office and all substations
  • Auburn Hills
  • Berkley
  • Bloomfield Township
  • Bloomfield Hills
  • Clawson
  • Farmington
  • Farmington Hills
  • Village of Franklin and Bingham Farms
  • Hazel Park
  • Holly Village
  • Huntington Woods
  • Keego Harbor
  • Lake Angelus
  • Madison Heights
  • Northville
  • Novi
  • Oak Park
  • Oakland University
  • Orchard Lake Village
  • Oxford Village
  • Pleasant Ridge
  • Rochester
  • Royal Oak
  • South Lyon
  • Southfield
  • Troy
  • Waterford
  • West Bloomfield
  • White Lake
  • Wixom
  • Wolverine Lake Village

Image: Shutterstock

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