The National Shooting Sports Foundation’s (NSSF) Project ChildSafe has partnered with Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin, Oklahoma City Police Department and Oklahoma City Sheriff’s Office to provide free gun locks to firearm owners in the OKC area. The cable locks are threaded through the barrel of the gun and prevent it from being loaded.

The initiative’s partners are encouraging firearm owners to lock their guns when not in use and to “aim for zero” accidental shootings and misfires.

For one Oklahoma City official, this issue is personal.

“When I was in the seventh grade, I had a friend who was killed in a gun accident, by his own gun,” said Cornett. “And I often think to myself, even now, how could that have been prevented?”

He said, from a city perspective, it’s like OKC’s smoke alarm policy.

“If you don’t have a smoke alarm in your home, call the fire department and they’ll bring you one,” said Cornett. “If you’re a gun owner and you’d like one of these cable locks, give our police department a call; they’ll see that you get one.”

City officials anticipate that this program will have a profound impact on the number of accidental shootings and can save lives in the process.

“The more difficult you make having access to firearms, the safer that home’s going to be, period,” said Oklahoma City Police Chief Bill Citty.

Those who would like a lock can contact the Oklahoma City Police Department at (405) 297-1111 or the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office at (405) 713-1000.

The effort was made possible by a $2.4 million grant that was awarded to NSSF by the U.S. Office of Justice Programs and overseen by the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance.