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Gun safety storage campaign launched to keep children safe
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy is reminding folks to lock up your guns - introducing a new campaign this morning, saying something has got to get done.
FOX 2 - Gun safety and keeping children from getting their hands on unsecured firearms is a top priority for city and county officials.
The backstory:
On Monday they launched a new audio campaign to make sure firearms are locked up and stored in safe places.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy is reminding folks to lock up your guns - introducing a new campaign, saying something has to be done.
"Doing these cases and paying attention to these cases now for 11 years, we found unsafely stored guns in cribs, on kitchen tables, on couches, on couch tables, on kitchen counters and pockets where the butt is sticking out of the jacket, everywhere you can think of," she said. "In the play rooms of children where they play, under a bed, under a pillow. These are places where the gun should be secured and stored."
Worthy says in far too many cases it's not happening.
She says, according to the Centers for Disease Control, that firearms are the leading cause of death for children in the U.S. including in Michigan, more so than car accidents.
Worthy says in their research, her office has found that most unlocked firearms were found loaded, 91 percent of the time.
In many cases it’s led to serious injury and death.
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Sheffield, Worthy pitch safe storage campaign
Mayor Mary Sheffield pushed their new 6-point plan to promote safe storage of firearms in Detroit and around Southeast Michigan.
Worthy and Mayor Mary Sheffield say each case is preventable. The prosecutor applied for, and won a grant to do the new audio campaign, which folks will hear on radio and online.
Maurice Hardwick, also known as ‘Pastor Mo’ works in crime prevention out in the neighborhoods.
The CEO of Live in Peace Movement, says gun safety initiatives like these are important.
"I lost a nephew to this very same thing. It’s how i started my whole movement," he said. "If there’s a lock on the door, on the gun and they can’t open it, they can’t use it, you are protecting lives.
"You want to protect your life with your weapon? Protect your children’s life with the gun lock for the weapon. And then if the weapon gets stolen, criminals will use that same weapon to harm somebody’s else’s family. Think about the impact - we need locks, we need to be forward progress in that."
Worthy says a new law in 2024 helped her office to prosecute these cases.
Watch the entire press conference event below:
The Source: Information for this report is from the press conference Monday hosted by the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office.