Posted Friday, October 30, 2009 --- 9:00 a.m.

From the Dane County Sheriff's Office:

Madison, WI. October 30, 2009 – The Dane County Sheriff’s Office will provide 500 free firearm safety kits to local residents through a partnership with Project ChildSafe, the nationwide firearms safety education program. The safety kits, which include a gun lock, will be available at all three DCSO precincts, the Public Safety Building, and the Dane County Law Enforcement Training Center on STH 19 near Waunakee.

Project ChildSafe, a program developed by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), has distributed more than 35 million firearm safety kits throughout the country since 2003. The program is funded by a U.S. Department of Justice grant, with additional funding provided by the firearms industry.

“We encourage residents to pick up a Project ChildSafe safety kit so that they can securely store their firearm,” said Dane County Sheriff David Mahoney. “Each kit contains a safety curriculum and a cable-style gun lock. The locks fit most types of handguns, rifles, and shotguns. The goal is to prevent a child or any other unauthorized person from accessing a firearm in your home.”

By partnering with Project ChildSafe, the Dane County Sheriff’s Office is participating in a national effort to promote safety education to all gun owners. Project ChildSafe will distribute gun lock safety kits to all 50 states and the five U.S. territories.

“We are pleased to have the Dane County Sheriff’s Office as a Project ChildSafe partner,” said Bill Brassard, Jr., director of Project ChildSafe. “Project ChildSafe is an important step forward in helping ensure that all firearm owners fully understand their responsibilities with respect to the safe handling and storage of firearms.”