<Garcia> you still LOCK-ed? read this article
U.S. News
The old lock-and-key approach Reducing risk
Angie Cannon
05/31/1999
U.S. News & World Report
Page 25
(Copyright 1999)
Police believe Thomas Solomon, the 15-year-old suspect in the Heritage High School shooting,
broke into a locked gun cabinet in his family's basement to get the .22-caliber rifle and .357
Magnum used in last week's mayhem in Conyers, Ga.
The shootings occurred just hours before the Senate passed long- delayed gun legislation. But
experts believe the laws proposed in the bill wouldn't have stopped either the Colorado tragedy or
last week's shooting in Georgia.
One thing that might have helped in the latter incident, though, is a measure passed by the Senate
last week requiring licensed gun dealers to include child-safety devices with each of the millions of
handguns they sell annually. Experts say locks can go far in reducing the number of children killed
accidentally by guns--especially now, when some 40 percent of all U.S. homes have guns. In 1996,
140 children died after being accidentally shot. About 1,500 children are hurt in such incidents
every year.
The legislation doesn't say which locks to use. It leaves the decision of which to provide up to
dealers. Owners can still pick which ones--if any--they want to use. The most basic is the trigger
lock, which typically fits over the trigger and blocks it from working. There are also cable locks,
which resemble those used on bicycles. Users thread the cable through the gun's barrel and
revolving cylinder, so it cannot be loaded or operated. Gun-safety experts say these locks should
be used with unloaded guns. What's the point if the chamber's empty? Supporters say they might
discourage some youngsters from trying to find bullets.
Keep them separate. Another safeguard: something called a "quick- access safe." This is a minisafe
that users need to punch in a combination to open. Some manufacturers ship their guns in
padlocked boxes. A hot, new product is called Saf T Lok , which uses a combination lock that
becomes part of the gun. Installed in the grip, the lock prevents the gun from firing unless a user
enters a three- digit combination. Safety experts stress that in addition to locks, one of the easiest
and most effective ways to keep guns away from kids is to lock guns and ammunition in different
places. Still, that isn't infallible. The family of the 15-year-old suspect in Conyers apparently did
keep guns locked in a cabinet, but the boy broke in anyway, police say.
Besides the safety devices and gun-show provisions, the Senate also passed a ban on importing
high-capacity ammunition clips. The Senate didn't even consider more divisive proposals such as
limiting gun sales to one a month. The gun-control measures now proceed to the House, where a
vote may come in June. But Republican aides predict their members will answer a Democratic
offensive on guns with amendments on school prayer and regulating the Internet, adding gas to an
already raging fire. Said one Democratic leadership aide: "It could be utter chaos."
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