APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) – Appleton Police are stressing the importance of gun locks and safety after a 3-year-old accidentally shot themselves in the hand on February 17th. That child was treated at a hospital for their injuries and released.
Police remind gun owners to lock up their firearms and to keep them out of the reach of children.
“It is a criminal offense to allow a child to have access to a firearm and for it to not be secured properly,” says Officer Meghan Cash, “Choose a location where you keep your firearm that a child – a three-year-old – wouldn’t have access to. Get down on their level and determine where could I keep this that is impossible for them to get?”
Education is also key – whether that is for the registered gun owner or for their children. Appleton Police provide materials to help explain firearm safety and ways to explain the concepts to your children – no questions asked.
“Our biggest concern for the community is obviously the importance of gun safety. We do have locks available here at the police department, free of charge, to anybody who would like one,” Cash says, “Talk about with your children, firearm safety so they understand what that is – who is supposed to be using it, where it is going to be stored so that they understand why there is a firearm in the home.”
It’s also a good idea to keep firearms locked and not loaded while being stored anywhere in the home.
“We don’t want to tell people how to keep their firearms, but in a case like this it’s an important reminder to maybe keep your ammo in a separate location,” Cash tells WTAQ News, “We feel it’s very important to have them not only obviously secured in a way that keeps our kids safe, but we want to make sure that people feel comfortable in using the locks as well…Our biggest concern for the community is obviously the importance of gun safety.”
Anyone with questions or concerns over proper gun safety measures in their home can contact Appleton Police or visit the Appleton Police Department lobby.
