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National 4-H Shooting Sports Joins
NSSF’s Project ChildSafe to Emphasize
Responsible Firearm Storage
Both Organizations to Promote Safety through
2015 S.A.F.E. Summer Program
NEWTOWN, Conn., and TRAPPE, Md. — The National Shooting Sports Foundation® (NSSF®) announced today that National 4-H Shooting Sports, a leading shooting education and youth development program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will join forces with Project ChildSafe® to emphasize the importance of responsible firearm storage across the country.
As a first step, both organizations are preparing to kick off NSSF’s third annual “S.A.F.E. Summer” effort. Consistent with Project ChildSafe’s overarching message of “Own it? Respect It. Secure it.,” S.A.F.E. Summer is a reminder that properly storing firearms when they’re not in use is the number one way to help prevent firearm accidents, theft and misuse.
“Remembering to store firearms responsibly when they aren’t in use is always important, and it’s particularly important during summer months when children are home from school and more likely to be unattended,” said NSSF President and CEO Steve Sanetti.
With “SAFE” serving as an acronym for Secure your firearms when not in use; Be Aware of those around you who should not have unauthorized access to guns; Focus on your responsibility as a firearm owner and Educate yourself and others about safe firearm handling and storage, the effort is focused on providing education and tools that helps gun owners take action to keep families and communities safer.
“Our slogan is ‘Learn by Doing,'” said National 4-H Shooting Sports Coordinator Conrad Arnold. “We equip students to teach others and lead by example, and we want to work with NSSF to emphasize safe storage among our 300,000 participants, so they can share that message with their friends and families.”
To support the program NSSF will provide a toolkit of materials, including videos, social media tools, tips on safe firearm storage and other resources, that can be distributed among all of 4-H Shooting Sports’ state and local program coordinators. Local groups will also be encouraged to work with their local law enforcement agencies to host firearm safety events and distribute free Project ChildSafe gun locks and safety information.
Through partnerships with more than 15,000 local law enforcement agencies and more than 1,100 organizational supporters like 4-H throughout the United States, Project ChildSafe has helped distribute more than 37 million free firearm safety kits to communities in all 50 states and the five U.S. territories.
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About Project ChildSafe
NSSF, the trade association of the firearms industry, launched Project ChildSafe in 1999 (prior to 2003 the program was called Project HomeSafe) as a nationwide initiative to promote firearms responsibility and provide safety education to gun owners. Since 1999, the program has provided more than 37 million free firearm safety kits that include a gun lock to gun owners in all 50 states and five U.S. territories. That’s in addition to the more than 70 million free locking devices manufacturers have included, and continue to include, with new firearms sold since 1998. Project ChildSafe is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit charitable organization. All donations to the organization are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. More information is available at projectchildsafe.org.
About 4-H Shooting Sports
4-H Shooting Sports is one of the largest shooting education programs in the United States. Consistent with the broader National 4-H program, its goal is youth development through giving young men and women an opportunity to learn responsibility, self-confidence, and leadership abilities. The 4-H Shooting Sports program uses the skills and disciplines of shooting sports to assist young people and their leaders in attaining this knowledge and developing essential life skills. Visit 4-hshootingsports.org.
About NSSF
The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of more than 12,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers. For more information, visit nssf.org.
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