On Thursday, April 6th, Philadelphia Sheriff Jewell Williams, City Council President Darrell Clarke, Philadelphia Media Network publisher and CEO Terrance C.Z. Egger and block captains from Town Watch Integrated Services held a public gathering at the Winchester Playground Recreation Center (2332 North 15th Street) to distribute free gun locks.

   These locks are small, vinyl-covered steel cables or cylinder-shaped trigger locks that thread through the chamber of a firearm to prevent it from going off. The gathering was held as part of an ongoing citywide effort to reduce gun violence and gun-related mishaps in Philadelphia.

   “We need to take ownership of the power we have — whether it’s the power of law enforcement, power of the legislature, power of the media or power of being a good parent — and use it to promote a baseline of responsibility when it comes to gun ownership,” Clarke said. “That baseline is keeping guns out of the hands of children, period.”

   Last year, Clarke enacted the Responsibility to Avoid Possession and Discharge of Firearms by Children Act, a law that requires gun owners with children under the age of 18 to keep their unloaded firearms and their ammunition in separate locked containers unless a person with a license to carry a gun is in “immediate control” of these materials.

   The Philadelphia Media Network — the publisher of the Inquirer, the Daily News and Philly.com — will be offering free advertising space to support better gun control.

   “Gun locks can save lives,” Egger said. “Studies show that up to 73 percent of children under 10 who live in homes where firearms are stored know the location of those guns. Keeping guns locked can prevent tragic accidents. We are happy to partner with the Sheriff’s Department and City Council to get the word out about these free locks.”

  To get your own free lock, talk to your city councilman or call the Sheriff’s office at 215-686-3572. You can also visit the Sheriff’s Department’s website at www.phillysheriff.com. •