The Oakland County Board of Commissioners will recognize National Safety Month with their annual Gun Safety Awareness press conference on Tuesday, June 19th at 1:30 p.m. The conference will be attended by county officials, safety advocates, and over 30 local law enforcement agencies. It will highlight the importance of safe firearm storage in curbing gun violence, tragic accidents, and suicide.
The Board is partnering with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, the Oakland County Health Division, and Oakland Schools to focus its efforts on school safety this year, with special attention directed toward Youth Suicide Prevention, Active Shooter Preparedness, and Anti-Bullying. Resources for these topics, and others, are available on the Board of Commissioners School Safety resources webpage.
Members of the public are invited to attend the press conference at the Oakland County Board of Commissioners Auditorium at 1200 N. Telegraph Road in Pontiac where free gun locks will be available. You can join the conversation online during the event by following @OakGov on Twitter and using #OaklandCounty.
Speakers will include Commissioners Janet Jackson and Tom J. Berman, who serve on the Board’s Study Group on Gun Violence, Oakland County Sheriff Michael J. Bouchard, and Leigh-Anne Stafford, health officer with the Oakland County Health Division.
Commissioner Janet Jackson
“We are committed to the ongoing prevention of gun violence by promoting safe use, storage and accessibility of firearms. Ensuring gun owners enact safe storage practices will help reduce the risk for more of the tragic public and school shootings we are seeing nationally,” said Commissioner Jackson. “I am a proud member of the Oakland County Study Group on Gun Violence and we are working in conjunction with the Sheriff’s Office, educators, hospitals and the Health Division to help end this plague. Our annual gun lock giveaway and new, upcoming school safety initiatives will actively provide resources and information to address this serious issue.”
Commissioner Tom J. Berman with Chief Michael Patton of the West Bloomfield Township Police Department
“There are so many serious and complicated issues that we, as members of the Study Group, tackle,” said Commissioner Berman. “Most importantly, we have been able to successfully promote smart, responsible and safe gun use and ownership through initiatives like this one. I am proud to serve with my colleagues in this capacity and we will continue our efforts to prevent future gun violence.”
“Violence can have lasting effects on the health of a community,” said Leigh-Anne Stafford, health officer for the Oakland County Health Division. “It’s important that we do everything we can to prevent gun violence and promote the safety and well-being of everyone who lives, works, and plays in Oakland County.”
The gun lock giveaway is a program that promotes safe gun ownership by distributing free gun locks to the public via local police departments. The Board of Commissioners has partnered with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office and the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) on this important public safety initiative for the past five years. NSSF supplies the locks at no cost to taxpayers. More than 30 local law enforcement agencies will be represented at the press conference and will participate in distributing the gun safety devices.
Commissioner Bill Dwyer and Sheriff Michael Bouchard demonstrate the proper use of a gun safety lock
“We encourage citizens to use gun safety devices, whether it is a trigger lock, lock box, or gun safe,” said Sheriff Michael J. Bouchard. “Properly securing weapons is critical in helping to prevent accidental shootings, suicide, and theft.”
Members of the public can go to participating local law enforcement agencies to obtain a free gun lock while supplies last. For more information about the press conference, gun safety lock giveaway, and other initiatives, please call the Board of Commissioners office at 248-858-0100 or visit their website at: www.oakgov.com/boc.
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