MADERA, Calif. – Last week, the Fresno Police Department donated 400 gun locks to Valley Children’s Injury Prevention Program in an event held at Valley Children’s Hospital. The donation is part of an ongoing effort to help prevent accidental injury or death of children who gain access to firearms. The locks will be distributed to patients and families.
During the donation event, Valley Children’s Injury Prevention team – including Trauma Medical Director Dr. Shannon Castle, Safe Kids Coordinator and Trauma Nurse Liaison Kristina Pasma, Emergency Department and Trauma Program Director Cauryn Updegraff and Trauma Program Manager Lindsay Kifer – along with gun safety advocate Hospitalist Dr. Nicole Webb – welcomed Fresno Police Chief Paco Balderrama and several department members to the Hospital.
“We strive to protect our community’s children from access to loaded firearms,” said Chief Balderrama. “It is our duty to keep them safe through responsible gun ownership, education and the distribution of gunlocks.”
Firearm injury is now the leading cause of death for children in this country, with the majority of unintentional injuries occurring inside their home or the home of a friend.
“Safe storage, including gunlocks, enables owners to keep their firearms secure,” added Dr. Castle. “Coordinated community injury prevention efforts, like this partnership, are vital to ensuring the future of our children.”
Over the last two years, Fresno Police have donated 1,000 gunlocks to Valley Children’s. The department will continue to send the Hospital gunlocks in the coming years, and makes gun locks accessible at each of the department’s district stations as well as headquarters.
As the lead agency for Safe Kids Central California, a coalition of 30 agencies dedicated to preventing unintentional injury in children, Valley Children’s partners to provide injury prevention education and outreach to children and families throughout the region.
