Ellisville Police Issue Free Gun Locks In Response to Shootings

In light of several recent incidents where St. Louis-area children were killed by guns, the Ellisville Police Department will be giving away free gun locks to help prevent similar tragedies from occurring locally.

The locks will be provided by Project Childsafe, a national program encouraging gun-storage safety. The locks are valued around $10 each, and will be provided on a first-come, first serve basis until supplies are gone.

“If you have a gun, especially if you have young children in your home, I’d like to see you have a lock on it,” Police Chief Tom Felgate said. “Children are curious and may not realize how dangerous they can be.”

The giveaway follows news of three fatal shootings involving children around St. Louis this month. Most recently, the 3-year-old son of a Maryland Heights police officer fatally shot himself in the head after retrieving a hand gun from a dresser drawer. The day before, authorities said a 5-year-old boy was killed by his 10-year-old brother using a shotgun. Roughly a week prior to that incident, a 3-year-old girl in St. Louis was killed after shooting herself with a gun hidden beneath a mattress.

The gun lock kits can be picked up from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at the . Questions should be directed to Sgt. Nancy Walker at 636-227-7777.