Responsible Firearms Ownership 

Few Police Officers Use Gun Locks: Survey

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A recent survey reveals that only one third of police officers use a
gun lock and fewer than half believe gun locks should be mandatory.

The findings underscore the need to develop new gun safety devices, as easy access to firearms is
thought to contribute to high rates of suicide, homicide and accidental injury among young people in
the US. Roughly 35% to 50% of homes in the US contain guns, the authors note.

The study also reveals that some police officers do not practice what they preach. In several states,
the authors point out, law enforcement has been a leading proponent of using gun locks through
giveaway programs and firearm safety education programs.

``The general public looks to officers for gun safety advice, and it is thus important to have officers'
support when promoting safety devices,'' Drs. Tamara Coyne-Beasley and R. M. Johnson from the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill write. ``This research demonstrated that many officers do
not use safety locks, probably because they believe these devices may hinder their access to their
weapon if needed in an emergency.''

The researchers offered free, keyed cable gun locks to more than 200 police officers from an urban
agency in the southern US and then surveyed the officers about their opinions on the locks and guns
in general. About half of the officers collected locks and nearly three-quarters returned the survey.

According to results, African Americans and police officers with children were more likely to report
using a lock. About 65% of those who had collected a lock said they were not using it, and 56% said
the locks should not be required.

Reasons for opposing mandatory locks included the belief that it is possible to keep guns out of reach
of children without locks, opposition to government regulation of gun ownership and storage and fear
that locks would prevent quick access to guns. One respondent compared using a gun lock to ''putting
an anchor on a life jacket,'' the researchers report in the September issue of Injury Prevention.

The authors stress that their findings should not be generalized to all police agencies. Rather, they
highlight the need for further research into police officers' attitudes toward gun locks.

Keyed cable gun locks are installed on unloaded guns. The steel cable runs through the barrel of a
revolver or through a similar part of a rifle, semiautomatic or shotgun, and is secured with a lock and
key.

SOURCE: Injury Prevention 2001;7:200-204.