Durham County gives away 230 gun locks as part of NC S.A.F.E. initiative

A statewide effort to keep guns out of the hands of children is underway this week and The Bull City is part of it.

Posted 9:05 p.m. Jun 6 — Updated 9:05 p.m. Jun 6

Monica Casey

, WRAL Durham reporter

DURHAM, N.C. — A statewide effort to keep guns out of the hands of children is underway this week and The Bull City is doing its part.

A newly-launched campaign puts the responsibility on gun owners to safely store their weapons.

Durham County and the city of Durham are participating in the NC S.A.F.E. Week of Action, a statewide campaign to encourage safe gun storage.

You don't have to look far to find concerning statistics about gun violence in North Carolina. From 2019 to 2021, the rate of firearm deaths among children in the state more than doubled. From 2012 to 2021, the amount of children killed by firearms in the state rose 231 percent.

This is the third year in a row they've hosted the giveaway. In the last two years they distributed 300 total gun locks. On Tuesday, they gave away 230 gun locks outside the Durham County courthouse.

Durham County District Attorney Satana Deberry said these locks not only will stop a thief from firing a gun they've stolen, but also a child from making a deadly mistake.

"There is nothing worse than having to see an autopsy of a young child who has been the victim of gun violence," said Deberry. "Whether that's been gun violence on the street, and they've been an innocent bystander, or whether that child has themselves found a gun and shot themselves."

Demi Simmons was one of the gun owners picking up a free lock outside the Durham County courthouse.

"I feel like if my house is broken into, I don't have time to get to the safe, so having a lock is just more comfort on my soul, with children in the house," Simmons said.

Simmons has a 9-year-old and feels educating her child about the dangers a gun can carry was vital.

"Have them watch the news with you," Simmons advised. "And see some of the cases that parents didn't have those talks, and what happened. That trauma affects our whole community."

Durham County Public Health Director Rod Jenkins said the issue should be considered a public health emergency.

"When you think about all the killers, you're thinking about COVID, you're thinking about cancer," Jenkins said. "This is preventable."

Gun violence involving juveniles increased in recent years in Triangle

Raleigh Chief of Police Estella Patterson spoke on Monday at a announcement introducing the campaign. She said that 179 guns have been stolen from cars so far in Raleigh in 2023. In 2022 there were 582 firearms stolen from cars. Patterson also referenced Raleigh's mass shooting in the Hedingham neighborhood last fall, allegedly committed by a juvenile with full access to guns and ammunition.

The chief shared more statistics to illustrate the problem, including that in 2022 there were 490 reported aggravated assaults in Raleigh. Of those, 101, or 21 percent, were committed by juveniles.

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