Safety At $6 A Gun

Smart and simple is the way to describe the Ocean Township (N. J.) Police Department's policy of giving out gun locks free of charge to residents, no questions asked.

According to Chief William Koch, his department has distributed nearly 200 of the $6 locks since the program began in October. They were purchased using money seized from criminals under New Jersey's forfeiture laws.

The devices slip inside a firearm's trigger guard and prevent anyone without a key from firing the weapon. Since you would have to nearly destroy a gun to remove a trigger lock, it is unlikely that anyone would chose to steal a locked gun.

Perhaps the best thing about the Ocean Township experiment is that it provides a means to reduce violent crime and prevent senseless accidents without touching off new battles over gun control. In a community like ours with at least 1,000 firearms hung over mantels or tucked away in garages and closets, making gun locks available sounds like a good idea.