Milwaukee city leaders urge community members to pick up gun locks

MILWAUKEE (CBS58) -- "Lock Your Guns" is the message from Milwaukee city leaders. It's all part of their gun safety campaign.

As summer approaches, city leaders are asking community members to help in the fight to curb gun violence. If you're a teacher, parent, community activist or preacher, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson says "the time is now."

"There is no time this summer for anybody to sit on the sidelines," Mayor Johnson said. "We need everybody in the game, everybody to stand up. We need everyone to do their part to make sure this is a safer summer because lives literally depend it." 

Monday morning, May 9, Mayor Johnson, Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman, Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski and Milwaukee's Office of Violence Prevention highlighted the importance of gun locks.

"It's important again that you take one of these locks, you use it. It's not meant to be put in a drawer or put to the side," Police Chief Norman said.

The United Neighborhood Centers of Milwaukee or "UNCOM" is now on board. Gun locks will be available at their locations. They also want a safer Milwaukee. 

"Having access to guns will not be a barrier for us, we're going to get as many gun locks as we can out to the community," Renee Logee said. She is the executive director.

CBS 58 has reported many cases of children accidentally shooting and killing themselves or others. City leaders want this unfortunate trend to stop.

"This is going to prevent the absolute horrific accidental shootings, many of them child on child in relative recent history in this city," Fire Chief Lipski said. "We want to see a safer summer, we understand that these are things impacting our community, this is a tool."

Gun locks are free of charge, no questions asked. Here is a list of the UNCOM locations: 

• United Neighborhood Center of Milwaukee office, located at 1609 W. North Avenue
  • Wednesdays 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
• City on Hill, located at 2224 W. Kilbourn
  • At health Outreach events the second Saturday of each month. The next one is May 14, 2022.
• Milwaukee Christian Center food pantry, located at 807 S.14th Street
  • Monday-Thursday 1-3 p.m.
• Neighborhood House of Milwaukee food pantry, located at 2819 W. Richardson Place 
  • Wednesday 3-6 p.m. and Thursdays 4-6 p.m. plus at daily pickup, 7:30-9:30 a.m. and 3-7 p.m. 
• Neu-Life Community Development, located at 2014 W. North Avenue 
  • As requested 
• Silver Spring Neighborhood Center, located at 5460 N. 64th Street
  • As requested