Atlanta City Council approves legislation calling for lockbox gun storage program

ATLANTA — New legislation that calls for free gun safety lock boxes was introduced at Tuesday’s Atlanta City Council meeting.

The legislation, introduced by City Council member Antonio Lewis, requests the development of a program to provide lock boxes to qualifying Atlanta residents to deter accidental shootings and reduce the theft of unsecured firearms and related crimes.

In Atlanta, more than 200 unsecured guns were stolen from automobiles in 2021. The idea is that some of these incidents would be reduced.

As of October 2022, the City of Atlanta had 26 self-inflicted gunshot wound cases, five of which were children, and there have been 108 deaths by homicide year to date in 2022.

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These are just some of the statistics that the City Council hopes this legislation will slow.

Studies have shown that giving away free lock boxes for gun storage leads to safer gun storage habits, the City Council said.

Atlanta police say guns being locked up is the best way to prevent curious kids from getting hurt with firearms, youth and adults in crisis from using a family firearm for suicide, and firearms from being stolen and misused by someone else.

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When exactly this program would be put into place remains unclear.

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