Project ChildSafe

Project ChildSafe (www.projectchildsafe.org) is a nationwidefirearm safety education program that teaches firearm owners

how to properly store and safely handle their weapons. Accidental

firearm-related injuries and deaths in the home, particularly those that

involve children and teenagers, can be reduced when firearm owners

fully understand their responsibilities. To educate gun owners, Project

ChildSafe distributes firearm safety kits containing a gunlock and

safety information. The project also helps local law enforcement

agencies schedule firearm safety events in their communities.

Project ChildSafe is a component of Project Safe Neighborhoods

(PSN), a comprehensive, strategic approach to reducing gun crime

nationwide. PSN (www.psn.gov) addresses gun violence through

prevention, enforcement, and prosecution. Project ChildSafe is part of

PSN’s prevention efforts.

U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Bureau of Justice Assistance Program Brief Bureau of Justice Assistance

Domingo S. Herraiz, Director

www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA

May 2004 America's Network Against Gun Violence
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About BJA

The Bureau of Justice Assistance was established in 1984 as a

component of the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of

Justice. BJA provides leadership and resources to state, local, and

tribal governments and communities to reduce crime, violence, and

drug abuse and to strengthen the nation’s criminal justice system.

BJA provides this assistance through formula and discretionary

grants, training and technical assistance, publications, and the BJA 

web site.

For Further Information

For information about Project ChildSafe, contact: 

National Shooting Sports Foundation

Flintlock Ridge Office Center 

11 Mile Hill Road

Newtown, CT 06470–2359

203–426–1320

Fax: 203–426–1087

www.projectchildsafe.org

Bureau of Justice Assistance

810 Seventh Street NW.

Washington, DC 20531

202–616–6500

Fax: 202–305–1367

www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA 

For publications and information on other

BJA-funded programs, contact:

Bureau of Justice Assistance Clearinghouse

P.O. Box 6000 

Rockville, MD 20849–6000

1–800–851–3420

www.ncjrs.org

Clearinghouse staff are available Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to

6 p.m. eastern time. Ask to be placed on the BJA mailing list. 

Office of Justice Programs

Partnerships for Safer Communities

www.ojp.usdoj.gov

NCJ 204959

Funding and Administration

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), Office of

Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice,

administers the Project ChildSafe program.

Congress appropriated $50 million for the project in

fiscal year (FY) 2002 to distribute 20 million firearm

safety kits, $25 million in FY 2003 to hand out an

additional 10 million kits, and $5 million in FY

2004.

Project ChildSafe is managed by the National

Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), a trade

association for the firearms and recreational

shooting sports industry. NSSF was chosen to

implement Project ChildSafe because of its

experience and expertise in providing gunlocks and

safety education to firearm owners through Project

HomeSafe, which NSSF launched in 1999 to

promote safe handling and storage of firearms.

Project ChildSafe is an expansion of Project

HomeSafe and puts an emphasis on keeping

children from accessing loaded firearms in

the home.

Firearm Safety Kits

Each safety kit contains a cablestyle gunlock and a pamphlet on

gun safety and safe storage

practices. Cable locks require

that many types of firearms be

unloaded before a lock can be

installed, which adds another level

of safety. The locks meet the testing

protocol issued by the California

Department of Justice, which is serving as an

interim standard until the ASTM International

(American Society for Testing and Materials)

standard is finalized.
Safety Kit Distribution

Project ChildSafe establishes partnerships with

governors, lieutenant governors, U.S. Attorneys,

mayors, community leaders, and law enforcement

agencies in the 50 states, Washington, D.C., and

six U.S. territories to set up safety tours to

distribute the kits. NSSF works with each state and

territory’s leadership to determine local distribution,

which is done by NSSF and local law enforcement

agencies.

The safety tours begin with a state kickoff event, often

with the governor or his or her designee in

attendance. Each of a fleet of 15 education vehicles,

which began touring in summer 2003, makes

numerous stops around the state at local police

stations and events such as state and county fairs,

outdoor shooting sports events, fishing and hunting

expos, sporting goods shows, and retail store events.

A comprehensive television, radio, and print media

campaign complements the distribution.

At the distribution sites, a trained program

representative and local law enforcement officers

distribute the kits, demonstrate how to use the locks,

and answer questions about firearm safety and

storage. Parents are encouraged to have their children

sign the Project ChildSafe pledge to be safe around

firearms.

During a safety tour visit, kits also are left for law

enforcement agencies to distribute. If a local law

enforcement agency does not have safety kits

available, that agency can contact the NSSF

representative to request a supply.

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Program Accomplishments

As of March 31, 2004, Project ChildSafe had

distributed more than 9 million safety kits in nearly

12,000 communities in 46 states. These

distributions, which take place at law enforcement

agencies and events around the state, include the

following:

◆ Illinois: 698,200 kits at 646 law enforcement

locations and 3 events.

◆ Michigan: 779,000 kits at 452 law enforcement

locations and 4 events.

◆ Montana: 156,800 kits at 161 law enforcement

locations and 8 events.

◆ New York State: 712,500 kits at 520 law

enforcement locations and 13 events.

◆ Washington State: 332,500 kits at 197 law

enforcement locations and 13 events.

◆ Wisconsin: 465,500 kits at 492 law enforcement

locations and 3 events.

“In addition to prosecuting gun crime in order to take those who commit it off

the streets, Project Safe Neighborhoods is working to prevent gun crime by

reaching potential perpetrators before it’s too late.”

—Attorney General John Ashcroft
U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Bureau of Justice Assistance

Washington, DC 20531

Official Business

Penalty for Private Use $300

PRESORTED STANDARD

POSTAGE & FEES PAID

DOJ/BJA

PERMIT NO. G–91

Photos courtesy of National Shooting Sports Foundation.

*NCJ~204959*

Funding received from FY 2003 and FY 2004

appropriations ensures that lock distributions will

continue through 2004. The goal is to ensure that

every firearm-owning household in the nation has a

gunlock.

Additionally, in spring 2003, in response to a shooting

accident that involved a police officer’s child, Project

ChildSafe donated 33,000 gunlocks to members of

the New York Police Department—enough to cover all

sworn officers—through the Patrolmen’s Benevolent

Association.