Gary plans gun turn-in events, gun lock distribution in efforts to curb gun violence
Following several recent incidents of children being injured or killed when they got ahold of unsecured firearms, Gary officials announced two “no questions asked” gun turn-in events in the next week and urged residents to pickup some of the thousands of free gun safety locks it has on hand.
Gary residents can surrender weapons without providing identifying information from 1-6 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 16, and Friday, Dec. 22, at the Gary Public Safety Facility on Polk Street.
Police Chief Anthony Titus said that his department currently has around 2,500 gun safety locks — which prevent accidental discharges by preventing the trigger from moving — on hand, and another 5,000 locks will be provided thanks to a combined $10,000 donation from Methodist Hospitals and the Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana.
“Violence has always been a major public health problem in marginalized communities,” Michael McGee, an emergency room doctor at Methodist and the founder of Project Outreach and Prevention (POP) on Youth Violence. “Now there’s a new epidemic of kids five and under now being killed senselessly from carelessness.”
McGee’s nonprofit provides guidance to children and teens with histories of violence with the goal of changing their behavior and keeping them and their communities safe.
In recent months, Northwest Indiana has seen a number of incidents in which young children have died or been seriously injured in incidents stemming from improperly stored firearms. In November, a 2-year-old Gary boy was accidentally shot and killed by his 3-year-old brother after finding a gun in his mother’s purse, police said.
Earlier this month, a 3-year-old boy died in Merrillville of an apparent accidental gunshot wound. The incident is still under investigation by law enforcement.
On Aug. 30, Edan Johnson, 5, of Chicago, was killed while visiting relatives in the 2400 block of Fillmore Street in Gary. A 32-year-old man told police that he’d laid down his gun before falling asleep, but was awakened by the sound of a gunshot and found the boy shot. The boy died of his injuries at a hospital.
On Sept. 12, a 4-year-old found his mother’s gun inside of her purse in the closet and accidentally shot himself, Gary Police said.
“If 5,000 Gary residents will come and take those gun locks and lock their weapons up, I would greatly appreciate it,” Titus said, “but if none of that happens, we will continue to collectively cry for the children in our community.”
In his remarks, Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter decried “ignorant people” who do not take safety precautions around firearms storage, particularly those who store weapons with a round in the chamber.
“Every case I have seen, every case without exception, if around had not been chambered, a 6-year-old, a 3-year-old, 4-year-old, 2-year-old, even an 8-year-old could not chamber that round,” he said. “It takes a lot of power to put a bullet in that chamber.”
Carter said that he directs his staff and the law enforcement agencies he works with to avoid using the words “accident” or “careless” in situations where children are injured or killed by firearms, since doing so might imply that there is no criminal liability.
“Do not chamber a round,” he said, “and if you have a chambered round, when I review that case, you may have problems.”
Indiana Department of Child Services Division Manager Caryn Timmons added that parents of young children who own firearms can reduce the danger by storing guns high enough to be out of reach and making sure that their children know not to touch them.
It is not clear how many firearms Gary residents own, or how many households have at least one gun. The state of Indiana does not require that firearms be registered, and a 2022 law removed the permit requirement to legally carry, conceal or transport a handgun within the state.
Carter said that if even one firearm is surrendered he will consider the program a success.
“If we get one lock, and it takes care of the problem, that child’s living and didn’t get exposed to death it’s worth that $10,000,” he said.
McGee noted that the incentives that government entities in Indiana can offer in order to get guns off the street are limited — state law prevents the use of public funds for buybacks.
The New England Journal of Medicine has identified firearm-related injuries as the leading cause of death for U.S. residents aged 17 and under, a grim statistic that has left policymakers seeking solutions. On Wednesday, the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention met with 100 Democratic state lawmakers to discuss gun violence prevention, including safe storage methods. Three Hoosier legislators were among them, including State Rep. Ragen Hatcher, D-Gary.
The upcoming 2024 Indiana legislative session might see a renewed attempt to impose storage requirements on gun owners. State Rep. Mitch Gore, D-Indianapolis, told the Indiana Capital Chronicle this week that he intends to introduce legislation making it illegal to leave a firearm unattended under circumstances where a child might be able to access it. Earlier this year, a similar bill authored by Gore failed to make it out of committee.
Amy Lavalley contributed.
