Gun Lock Program Suspended After Problems Are Found

STAMFORD (AP) — A nationwide program to distribute free gunlocks has been suspended after police in two cities found they can spring open.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation, a trade group based in Newtown, had distributed 400,000 cable locks nationwide through more than 600 law enforcement agencies.

The group said Tuesday that no more locks will be given out until extensive testing is done. Problems with the locks were reported last week by police in Knoxville and Chattanooga, Tenn.

“We’ve informed all of the municipalities that have already distributed locks of the potential problem and have asked them to send in a sampling of locks they may still have so that we can do a test,” said Robert T. Delfay, the group’s president and chief executive officer.

Some of the cities that have already given out locks include Minneapolis, St Paul, Orlando, Fla., and Augusta, Ga. In Connecticut, Easton, Stratford, and Norwalk have handed out locks, and Trumbull was poised to begin.

Dubbed “Project HomeSafe,” the program began about a year ago as the national debate on gun safety raged. The National Shooting Sports Foundation heralded its program as a way for gun owners to feel more sure that their weapons were safe from children.

When the group began the program, some gun control proponents called it a public relations ploy designed to defuse criticism and lawsuits filed against the gun industry over the rash of gun violence across the country.

The locks, which resemble bicycle cable locks, are pulled through gun handles or barrels to prevent the weapon from firing. When the lock is in place, the gun cannot be loaded or fired.

A Knoxville officer discovered one of the locks would spring open when bounced in his hand. When police tested the 5,000 locks the department had planned to distribute, they found the trait was common.

Police in the Tennessee cities say they are concerned gun owners might have a false sense of security about the locks. Delfay said the foundation shares that concern and recommends all weapons be stored in safety boxes.

“That is the major concern, that a parent puts it on there, thinks it’s secure, but it may not be. That’s something we’re very sensitive to,” he said.

Delfay said the group will complete its tests before considering any possible recall of the locks.

He said the locks were never meant to be foolproof.

“These locks are not intended to defeat all attempts to open them or destroy them by force. That’s not what they’re supposed to do. They’re supposed to discourage unauthorized use,” Delfay said.  “Even if it opens easier than someone might hope, it is still more effective than no lock at all.”