POLK COUNTY, Fla. — A Polk County group is equipping hundreds of residents with free gun locks in hopes that it will save lives.
“It’s very important that people understand that children of a very young age pull triggers and it affects families for the rest of their lives,” said Dr. Trudy Rankin.
Dr. Rankin is the co-chair of the League of Women Voters of Polk County’s gun safety committee. The nonpartisan organization is working to prevent loaded guns from getting into the hands of children.
The group has distributed more than 1,800 gun locks throughout Polk County in 10 months. Members participate in dozens of community events and put the locks in the hands of gun owners that need them. The goal is to reduce accidental shootings and gun violence.
“If we’ve saved one life the effort has been worth it. This is something that doesn’t involve any kind of argument. This a proactive provision in helping people in communities to just be safe,” Rankin said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, firearm injuries were the leading cause of death for children and teens in 2020 and 2021.
The league is partnering with Moms Demand Action, to give locks to parents. The activist group was founded in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
“We distributed them to a lot of Early Learning Centers. The kids take them home and give them to the parents and say ‘please lock up your guns,’” said Leander Aulisio with Moms Demand Action Polk County.
Dr. Rankin, who is a mental health counselor, said locking your gun can also stop suicide, by allowing a period to pause and think.
“Having a gun makes it so easy to pull the trigger but if they have to take a key to unlock it, then they have that moment where they can have some sense of sanity to make a different decision,” Rankin said.
