Between Monday and Tuesday, three children were unintentionally shot in metro Atlanta. Two of them died from wounds to the head after finding loose firearms, loaded and unattended.
On Thursday morning, three days after a 7-year-old was shot to death at a DeKalb gas station, county leaders gathered to discuss solutions and beg residents to be more careful with their firearms.
“We’re here simply to ask citizens to practice responsible gun ownership,” DeKalb police Chief Mirtha Ramos said during a news conference at the department’s headquarters.
The county, trying to remove any excuse for leaving firearms unsecured, has responded by offering gun locks and, for the first time, car safes to citizens for free.
DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond said the public address was necessary to discuss “gun violence resulting in the injury and death of our most precious resource: Our children.” He plans to join nearly 50 Georgia mayors who have recently called for new gun legislation at the state level.
The 7-year-old boy was killed at a Texaco near Lithonia while he and his younger brother waited in the car for their dad. Investigators have not said if they know who pulled the trigger in the Monday incident, but the brothers got their hands on a loaded gun within minutes of being left unattended.
Just a day later, a 1-year-old boy shot himself at an apartment in Cobb County, police said. That same day, a 6-year-old girl was shot at an apartment complex in southwest Atlanta. She was taken to the hospital, but Atlanta police did not provide an update on her condition.
In each case, a parent was arrested on charges that imply the shootings were unintentional, including second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct.
Ramos said her department will offer solutions at an event in Tucker this weekend. Police will be handing out free gun locks and car safes, as well as offering other resources, at their Community Outreach and Safety Fair. The event will take place Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Big Lots parking lot at 3358 Chamblee Tucker Road.
“This is not about the 2nd Amendment, this is really about the safety of our community,” Ramos said.
Credit: Henri Hollis
Credit: Henri Hollis
She pointed out that in most of the accidental shootings involving children, the gun is not even in a holster.
“Our children are dying due to irresponsible gun ownership,” Ramos said.
DeKalb has been offering simple cable locks for guns at no charge for about 18 months, but Saturday’s event marks the first time the county will give away car safes en masse. The unobtrusive lockboxes come with a metal cable that can be attached to a fixed point inside a car.
Police have given away about 600 gun locks since the program began in 2022. They began offering the car safes about a month ago and have already distributed 75 of them.
Officials hope the devices also will help stem the flood of stolen firearms; in 2022, more than 850 guns were stolen out of cars in DeKalb alone, Ramos said.
“When we ask ourselves the question, ‘Where are the criminals getting these guns?’ They’re getting them from you, the community,” Ramos said. “In your quest to keep your family safe, sometimes you’re putting guns back out into the street.”
Ramos said police actually wanted to purchase even more gun safes, but they bought out the manufacturer’s entire stock and plan to provide additional units when they become available. They will have 300-400 safes available Saturday, with more than a thousand units on back order.
“If (you) absolutely have to” keep a gun in your vehicle, Ramos said, the safes will at least serve as a deterrent for most thieves. Still, Ramos said police do not recommend that anyone keep a gun in their car.
Outside of this weekend’s event, DeKalb residents can still get free gun locks or car safes when they obtain permits as legal gun owners, Ramos said.
Credit: Henri Hollis
Credit: Henri Hollis
“Anywhere you deal with a police officer, they’re probably going to offer you a gun lock or gun safe,” Ramos said. “It really is a holistic effort: community, parents, citizens, everyone needs to take a role in this.”
Thurmond also announced that he plans to join the Georgia mayors who called on state leaders to “enact sensible gun laws.”
The request lays out several specific policy measures the mayors want, including additional funding for mental health services, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported. Also on the wish list: A law governing the safe storage of guns, which dovetails with Thurmond’s message Thursday morning.
“We are begging the citizens and residents of DeKalb County who have guns in their possession to go to one of our precincts or come to the event Saturday and get, free of charge, a lock or a safe,” Thurmond said. “I promise this is going to save lives.”
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