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County grants program distributes locks, safes and training to promote firearm safe storage
Summary
Champaign County's gun safety program reported distribution of more than 1,000 cable locks, roughly 100 safes in hand or allocated, train-the-trainer sessions with Be SMART, and targeted outreach to veterans and families; staff said additional funding rounds are expected but safes are finite.
Shauna Denater, the training and outreach coordinator for the Champaign County gun safety program, told the board on Feb. 20 that the program has distributed more than 1,000 cable-style gun locks through pickup sites and deployed roughly 100 safes to organizations or individuals so far.
Denater said the program is funded by a state grant administered through IDPH and uses the Be SMART national campaign materials to provide a “train-the-trainer” curriculum for schools, veterans organizations and family-serving groups. “We have distributed over a thousand cable gun locks at various pickup sites,” she said, and noted that lockers and larger safes had been handed out at community events and through partnering organizations.
The program also produced a locally focused public-service video that shows the impact of unsecured firearms, which Denater said was made with local partners and a family affected by a shooting. She said theft from vehicles accounted for a large share of stolen firearms and that secure storage can reduce the risk of firearms being used in crimes or suicides.
Denater described focused outreach to groups the data showed at higher risk: white men 50 and older and girls aged 10–19, both groups for which county suicide rates exceed the state average, she said. “Suicide by firearm is particularly lethal, and suicide accounts for more than half of the gun deaths,” she said, adding that adding time and barriers can reduce lethal outcomes.
Board members and community partners praised the work. Board member Crane asked whether locks and safes were a finite supply; Denater said cable locks are effectively unlimited through state supply but safes were budgeted at 500 units and the program expects to exceed that order but will eventually run short. Several board members and community volunteers offered to help distribute materials at summer events and youth programs.
Denater said the program is coordinating training for firearm restraining orders (FROs) with the state's training lead and local legal partners; she said only a small number of FROs had been filed in the county at the time the grant was written and that training for attorneys, judges and civil-society partners is a priority.
Why it matters: County officials described this as both a harm-reduction and suicide-prevention initiative. The program mixes hardware distribution (locks and safes), training and public education and works with schools, veterans’ organizations and community groups to reach caregivers and at-risk adults.
Next steps: Denater said the county plans continued distribution, more Be SMART trainings, scheduled FRO training with state trainers and hopes for another round of grant funding. Officials said they would continue to coordinate with schools, veterans’ organizations and community partners on outreach and events.
