Chautauqua County agencies are reminding residents to safely store their guns.
The Chautauqua County Board of Health, Chautauqua County Department of Health and Human Services, Chautauqua County Department of Mental Hygiene, and Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office are joining forces to remind residents safe gun storage is a priority in Chautauqua County.
Many County residents are owners of firearms, so groups are coming together to share efforts and to create public education opportunities to ensure the community is well-informed of resources and best practices.
If you own a gun, it is critically important to follow these safety practices:
1. Keep all firearms unloaded and locked in a safe place, away from children and other unauthorized persons, when not in use.
2. Store ammunition under lock and key, separate from firearms, out of the reach and sight of children.
3. Keep keys and combinations hidden.
4. Teach children never to touch a gun and to immediately tell an adult if they see one.
5. Read and understand your firearm owner’s manual.
6. Follow safe gun handling practices.
Officials say parents and caregivers play a critical role in the importance of firearm safety with their children by having open and honest conversations about guns.
The Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office is working with Project Child Safe to try and secure a supply of free firearm safety kits for interested community members. More information will be made available as details unfold.
In 2020, gun suicide among children ages 17 and under reached the highest rate in more than 20 years, and firearms became the leading cause of death among children in the United States.
The U.S. is the only country among its peers that has seen an increase in the rate of child firearm deaths in the last two decades. In the U.S. in 2020, 30% of child deaths by firearm were ruled suicides, 5% were unintentional, and 65% of all child firearm deaths were assault.
If you are experiencing a crisis, contact the 24/7 Chautauqua County Crisis Hotline by calling 1-800-724-0461, call/text the Suicide & Crisis Hotline at 988, or text TALK to 741741 to the Crisis Text Line.
For more information and safety tips for firearms visit: https://www.nssf.org, https://besmartforkids.org/ or https://gunsafetyrules.nra.org/.
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