TRUMBULL COUNTY. Niles police department offers event on gun safety

Gunlocks are available to anyone, not just city residents.
By SHERRI L. SHAULIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
NILES -- Though approved gun owners in Ohio can legally carry their firearms with them now, local police officers want to make sure they have proper safety knowledge.
The Niles Police Department and Project ChildSafe, a nationwide firearms safety education and gunlock program, will kick off their partnership with a safety demonstration and gunlock distribution.
The event is set to run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Niles Middle School, 410 Brown St. Those attending will be able to view a short movie and a computer presentation about gun safety and receive a free gunlock.
"The program will be repeated over and over again, so people can come when they want," explained Les Nagy, a school resource officer with the police department.
Nagy, along with fellow school resource officer Mike Wilson, will present the educational information and distribute the more than 5,000 locks the department is getting from Project ChildSafe.
"We will be showing people how to use the lock, how to install it and how to make sure it's secure," Wilson said.
Locks free to anyone
Police Chief Bruce Simeone said the cost of the gunlocks was covered by Project ChildSafe. They will be free to anyone, he said, not just residents of the city.
The partnership, Simeone added, is a good one, since the department has always been concerned about gun safety, especially in light of the new statewide law that allows people to carry weapons.
"We recognize people's right under the law to carry their guns, but we are concerned with carelessness," he said. "We want people educated on how to handle and care for those guns properly."
Project ChildSafe is an expansion of the Project HomeSafe program, developed by the National Shooting Sports Foundation. The program is funded with a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice.
slshaulis@vindy.com