FEBRUARY 8, 2004                                                                                FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 Project ChildSafe^SM Comes To Charlestown :   

2000 Firearm Safety Kits To Be Distributed Locally

The Charlestown Police Department will provide 2000 free firearm safety kits to local residents through a partnership with Project ChildSafe, the nationwide firearms safety education program.  The safety kits, which include a gun lock, will be distributed while quantities last at the Charlestown Police Department, located at 701 Main Street , in Charlestown .

Project ChildSafe, a program developed by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), will distribute millions of firearm safety kits throughout the country over the next year.  The program is funded by a United States Department of Justice grant, with additional funding provided by the firearms industry.

 "We encourage residents to pick up a Project ChildSafe safety kit so that they can securely store their firearm,” said Charlestown Assistant Chief of Police Chuck Ledbetter.  “Each kit contains a safety curriculum and a cable-style gun lock.  The locks fit on most types of handguns, rifles and shotguns.  The goal is to prevent a child or any other unauthorized person from accessing a firearm in your home.”

By partnering with Project ChildSafe, the Charlestown Police Department is participating in a growing national effort to promote firearms safety education to all gun owners.  Project ChildSafe will distribute gun lock safety kits to all 50 states.

“We are please to have the Charlestown Police Department as a Project ChildSafe partner,” said Dee Dee Dockins, spokesperson for the program.  “Project ChildSafe is an important step forward in helping ensure that all firearm owners fully understand their responsibilities with respect to the safe handling and storage of firearms.”

For more information about Project ChildSafe, log on to the Charlestown Police Department website at www.ctownpd.com.