NEW ORLEANS (WGNO)— With two small children accidentally shot in the past 48 hours in New Orleans, many have turned their attention to gun safety.
Brionne Davis, CRSO, owner of NOLA Fire Firearms Training stated, “The biggest danger we’re facing with so many guns out here is that lack of training and knowledge behind them. Its nothing wrong with the fact that there are guns floating throughout the city, every city has them every city has people buying them for self-defense.”
Davis is also a gun safety advocate and in the wake of two shootings of children in the city — one at the Costco gas station in Carrollton on Tuesday, the other outside a New Orleans East nail salon on Wednesday. Davis demonstrated some safe firearms options.
Mayor LaToya Cantrell and Superintendent Ferguson on Thursday issued the following statement addressing gun safety:
LaToya Cantrell
“Our method to reducing violence, especially gun violence, is a holistic approach to a complex issue that is grounded in addressing root causes and emphasizing the importance of personal responsibility. While gun violence is a complex issue, there is one known contributor to the problem – guns. As adults and members of this community, it is absolutely imperative that if you own a gun, it is stored correctly. Even if you do not personally own a gun, it is also crucial that every member of this community encourage safe gun storage. Storing our guns securely keeps our families and our communities safe because whether or not it is your gun, it could be your child. My administration will continue to support those that choose to take personal responsibility and store their gun safely by meeting people where they are and distributing gun locks throughout the city.”
Supt. Shaun Ferguson
“When guns are not properly stored, there can be deadly consequences – whether it’s a child finding a firearm and injuring or killing themselves, or someone stealing it and using it to commit violence. Gun owners can make their families, homes, and communities safer by storing their guns securely – unloaded, locked, and separated from ammunition. As parents, guardians, and mentors, we have to educate and protect our children. We can protect them by having conversations about guns and by instructing children to always assume a gun is loaded and never to touch a gun if they see it. Please help us keep our children and community safe by properly storing firearms and normalizing conversations about gun safety – our children and communities are counting on us to keep them safe.”
For more information on gun safety and how to securely store your firearms, visit https://besmartforkids.org/louisiana/.
The city is also making available free gun safety locks to citizens. Those can be found at any NOPD station across the city.