'Makes the weapons safe:' East Troy police now offering protective gun locks to firearm owners

EAST TROY -- Already this summer, multiple children in our area have died due to gun violence. The Town of East Troy has a new program to try and prevent tragedy -- all thanks to a new partnership with police.

The Town of East Troy Town Hall has many services, and Police Chief Don Jensen got a call recently asking if they offered gun locks.

"I said no, we don't," said Jensen. "But, I said I'll see if we can find some."

Jensen found Project Childsafe, a nationwide program that partners with police departments to provide free gun locks.

"It makes the weapon safe," said Jensen. "It renders it safe, so it can't be fired. That's the purpose of gun locks.'

Jensen wants to prevent a tragedy from hitting his town. He says locks are part of the moral responsibility that comes with owning a gun.

"If they can't have the responsibility of making sure that the weapon is inaccessible to those individuals, then they shouldn't even get a gun," said Jensen. "Shouldn't even put it in the house."

The department has 80 locks to give out, and they also come with safety information. The program started on Wednesday, July 3, and quite a few have already been picked up. Jensen plans to keep reordering more.

"We plan on doing this all the time," said Jensen.

Parents cam also pick up a child's pledge, where parents can sign saying they understand the rules of gun safety. The locks can be picked up at the town hall during its normal business hours.

If you would like more information on Project Child Safe, click HERE.