Free gun locks available from police Free gun locks available from police (January 14, 2004)

Securing guns in a home display case may not be enough to keep them out of the inquisitive hands of children.

That's why Operation Childsafe, a national firearms safety program, is distributing free gun locks to law enforcement agencies throughout California, to be handed out to residents.

The locks are now available at the Menlo Park Police Department free of charge to the public on a first-come, first-served basis; recipients do not have to be city residents. Soon, the locks will also be distributed through the Atherton Police Department and the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office.

The devices can be used on most firearms to make them inoperable by children, Menlo Park Police Sgt. Matt Bacon said in a press release. The public can pick up locks at the lobby of the Menlo Park main police station at 701 Laurel St., or at the department's Belle Haven substation at 1197 Willow Road.

For information about obtaining free gun locks from the Atherton Police Department, call 688-6500. A phone number for the gun lock program in the Sheriff's Office will be made public later, a sheriff's spokeswoman said.

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