Kennedy Krieger Institute offers free gun locks to help prevent child injuries

Gun violence is the number one cause of death for children in the U.S.

One way to reduce that risk is safe gun storage.

The Kennedy Krieger Institute is helping with that.

They offer gun locks to patients, their families, staff, and community members near the Broadway campus.

The institute sees the impact of gun injuries first hand, and organizers say the locks are a fast and easy way to stop children from accessing guns.

"We know that talking about guns and firearms can be a stigmatized or politicized conversation, and we just want to talk to folks about safety. Our big priority is on making sure that kids stay safe. We want to remove the stigma from the conversation so that people feel comfortable talking to their healthcare providers about how to keep their families at home safe," said Sarah Carter, a social worker at the Kennedy Kreiger Institute.

The gun lock program is the first in the city.

It's anonymous and the locks are discreetly packaged.

Anyone can pick them up at Krieger's Broadway, Greenspring, and Fairmount campuses.