Nik Rajkovic / news@whmi.com

Residents are encouraged to store their firearms safely and obtain free trigger locks being offered by the Oakland County Sheriff's Office to prevent unwanted access to a firearm.

“We are pleased to provide these gun locks, not only to our partner police agencies, but to continue distributing them at no cost to the community,” Sheriff Michael Bouchard said.

“We have distributed gun locks for many years. It is one easy way to secure weapons, and it is now required in certain circumstances under a recently enacted state law.”
The trigger locks are available at all Sheriff’s Office substations or the Sheriff’s Office headquarters at 1200 N. Telegraph on the Oakland County government complex. They were provided for distribution by the Detroit VA Healthcare System. The locks are also available at most local law enforcement agencies.

State law, which took effect in February, requires the following:

An individual who stores or leaves a firearm unattended on premises under the individual’s control, and who knows or reasonably should know that a minor is, or is likely to be, present on the premises, shall do 1 or more of the following:

Store the firearm in a locked box or container.
Keep the firearm unloaded and lock the firearm with a locking device that is properly engaged to render the firearm inoperable by any individual other than the owner or an authorized user.

NSSF®, The Firearm Industry Trade Association, is launching the inaugural Gun Storage Check Week™, beginning Saturday and running through June 7, to remind gun owners to review their storage practices with the goal of preventing accidents, suicides, and thefts.