By Marley Malenfant/se news editor
TCC has partnered with Project ChildSafe, a nationwide program, to help promote firearm safety.
Every campus police department has free gunlocks to distribute to students or staff.
Project ChildSafe’s goal is to promote safe firearm handling and child safety practices. Since 2003, Project ChildSafe has distributed more than 35 million safety kits to gun owners in all 50 states and five U.S. territories.
Texas law forbids adults from making firearms accessible to children under 17 and makes it a Class A misdemeanor if a child causes death or serious injury.
NW Cpl. Mindy Teague, director of TCC’s Crime Stoppers, said gun safety is a must.
“When we started giving out the gunlocks, Project ChildSafe gave over 10,000 locks,” she said. “Anyone who owns a firearm and has kids should always have some sort of safety.”
NE Sgt. Tony Woolum said students should have more awareness of gun control.
“It needs to be pushed out more,” he said. “With thousands of students who may have weapons or know people who do, it’s important that we promote safety.”
SE student Robert Watson said knowing how to handle a firearm outweighs being safe.
“Experience matters most. If you can’t handle a gun, it’s only as safe as the person using it,” he said. “Safety is always first in any situation. But in a dangerous situation, you need it out of a lock.”
SE student Kerwin Miller said he’s seen the danger that happens when people are not safe with firearms.
“I’m all for gun safety,” he said. “I seen this man shoot himself in the foot at my apartment complex.”
SE student Brittany Osinski said children have easy access to firearms if family members own one.
“It’s a good thing ’cause kids will easily find things like that,” she said. “My dad owns one, so it’s important to me to have some kind of safety.”
SE student Curtis Nagel said gun laws are necessary if safety is being promoted.
“They need to have a campus gun law if they’re going to push gun safety,” he said. “If some wacky kid carries a gun, I got to have one too. Yes, gun safety is important but so is defending yourself.”
