ST. LOUIS – Your library isn’t just for checking out books–it’s also about saving lives.
“It’s a simple process. Customers just come in and ask for a gun lock, and we hand it to them. You don’t have to have a library card. You don’t have to show an ID. No questions asked,” St. Louis Public Library Assistant Manager at Julia Davis Branch Dominique Newton said.
The gun lock program is run by Women’s Voices Raised for Social Justice. The library is just one of several distribution sites.
Their Lock it for Love program began after the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting. Cathy Gilbert estimates the nonprofit group gives out between 12,000 and 20,000 gun locks every year, which are provided by donations and grants.
“It’s a variety of people—grandmothers, aunts, concerned family members, mothers, or uncles. A lot of people come in and have stories of a family member that has a gun at home,” Newton added.
At the Julia Davis Branch off Natural Bridge, they estimate to give out as many as three gun locks a day.
“I grew up, and my dad was a police officer, so I’ve heard gun safety my whole life,” Newton said. “Gun locks can save a life, and it’s better safe than sorry.”
Below is a list of St. Louis Library branches that are participating in the Lock it for Love Program:
- Florissant Valley
- Jamestown Bluffs
- Lewis and Clark
- Natural Bridge
- Rock Road
- Weber Road