Long Beach offers free gun safes in effort to prevent gun-related deaths
The City of Long Beach will offer free gun storage safes to residents as part of an initiative to promote firearm safety and prevent gun-related injuries and deaths, officials announced Monday.
Beginning April 28, the city's Department of Health and Human Services, in collaboration with its parks and recreation department, will distribute 200 gun safes on a first-come, first-served basis at locations across the city.
The gun safes will be given away to any resident, no questions asked, officials said.
Firearms are the leading cause of death among children in the United States, and officials say safe storage, in addition to responsible behavior and open conversation about firearms in homes, can greatly reduce the risk of unnecessary injuries and deaths.
Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson said in a news release that nearly 4.6 million American children live in homes with unlocked and loaded guns.
The gun safes, which weigh about 10 pounds and can hold two handguns, will be available at seven locations across the city during the following hours:
Admiral Kidd Park (2125 Santa Fe Ave.), weekdays from 3 to 6 p.m.
Cesar E. Chavez Park (401 Golden Ave.), weekdays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Coolidge Park (352 E. Neece St.), weekdays 3 to 10 p.m.
Houghton Park (6301 Myrtle Ave.), weekdays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
MacArthur Park (1321 E. Anaheim St.), weekdays 3 to 6 p.m.
Orizaba Park (1435 Orizaba Ave.) weekdays from 3 to 6 p.m.
Ron Arias Health Equity Center (6335 Myrtle Ave.), Mondays through Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Dr. Anissa Davis, Long Beach City Health Officer, said using gun safes to store firearms reduces the risks of accidents, particularly among children, but also helps 'prevent unauthorized access, lowering the chances of firearm-related violence and suicide.'
The program is made possible through a one-time approval of funds in the 2025 city budget. The effort is part of a broader violence prevention strategy in Long Beach, officials said.
Because firearms are prohibited on all city facilities, anyone interested in receiving a free safe must leave their weapon at home.
For more information about preventing firearms-related deaths and injuries, visit besmartforkids.org.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Las Vegas hospital Nevada's first with 2 cutting-edge treatments
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — MountainView Hospital is making history as the first hospital in Nevada to perform both CAR T-cell therapy and allogeneic stem cell transplants, two cutting-edge treatments that can be lifesaving for patients battling blood cancers and other serious disorders. CAR T-cell therapy involves turning a patient's own cells into powerful weapons against their disease, while allogeneic stem cell transplant uses healthy donor cells to aid in recovery. These highly complex and sophisticated therapies have become a crucial tool in extending and, in many cases, saving the lives of patients with hard-to-treat disorders. 'There are two therapies. One is allogeneic stem cell transplant, which allows us to provide stem cells from other donors to patients who have a need for that. We are also bringing CAR T therapy which uses the patient's own cells,' said Dr. Carolyn Mulroney, medical director of the Sarah Cannon transplant and the CAR T-cell therapy program. Usually, many patients and their families have been forced to travel out of state to access these advanced treatments, adding financial stress and uncertainty during a difficult time. Now, thanks to MountainView's Sarah Cannon Transplant & Cellular Therapy Program, these lifesaving options are available close to home, supported by a team of multidisciplinary experts. This significant breakthrough comes just ahead of the grand opening for MountainView's first-of-its-kind 12,000-square-foot Day Hospital, a state-of-the-art facility designed to provide convenient, patient-centric care under one roof. The new Day Hospital will enable patients to undergo extensive treatments while retaining their routines and staying connected with their support networks. 'In an outpatient setting like this, it allows the patient to go home at the end of the day, sleep in their own bed, and be with their family,' Maria Rios, administrative director at MountainView Hospital, said. This marks a major step forward in health care for Nevada, ensuring that patients battling some of the most aggressive blood disorders can find hope without having to leave their community. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
RFK Jr. Used 'Disinformation' to Defend Change to Vaccine Schedule, Expert Says: Reports
The Department of Health and Human Services sent Congress a document that cited disputed studies and misrepresented other findings, according to NPR and KFF Health News The document was written in support of Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s decision to change federal COVID vaccine recommendations for healthy kids and pregnant women 'This is RFK Jr.'s playbook,' said Sean O'Leary, chair of the Committee on Infectious Diseases for the American Academy of PediatricsThe Department of Health and Human Services sent Congress a document to support Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s decision to change federal vaccine recommendations that cited unpublished or disputed studies and misrepresented other findings, according to NPR and KFF Health News. In late May, Kennedy, who has a history of vaccine skepticism, announced on X that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) removed the COVID vaccine from the recommended immunization schedule for healthy children and pregnant women, while touting President Trump's Make America Healthy Again agenda. "It is so far out of left field that I find it insulting to our members of Congress that they would actually give them something like this. Congress members are relying on these agencies to provide them with valid information, and it's just not there," Dr. Mark Turrentine, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Baylor College of Medicine, told KFF Health News, the outlet that obtained the FAQ document. The outlet also reported that the document suggests a link between heart conditions like myocarditis or pericarditis and the COVID vaccine, but updated research suggests that connection has decreased with newer vaccine procedures. The document also left out multiple other peer-reviewed studies that show the risk of myocarditis and pericarditis is greater after getting sick with COVID for both vaccinated and non-vaccinated people than the risk of the same complications after vaccination alone, per KFF Health News. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. "There is no distortion of the studies in this document. The underlying data speaks for itself, and it raises legitimate safety concerns. HHS will not ignore that evidence or downplay it. We will follow the data and the science," a HHS spokesperson told KFF Health News. 'This is RFK Jr.'s playbook,' Sean O'Leary, chair of the Committee on Infectious Diseases for the American Academy of Pediatrics, told KFF Health News. 'Either cherry-pick from good science or take junk science to support his premise — this has been his playbook for 20 years.' Read the original article on People
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Family shares experience with scoliosis: What to know
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — June is Scoliosis Awareness Month, which has a local family sharing their story. Jenna Bathke has had scoliosis since she was a teenager. 'I had a sports injury my eighth grade year, and so it was with the chiropractor that he noticed that I had, one leg was longer than the other. So that started the whole scoliosis process for me,' Jenna Bathke said. Next steps for men's prison delayed Jenna's mother and sister have scoliosis as well. Just a few months ago, they also found out her daughter Brooke has scoliosis. 'Brooke has a very common form of scoliosis- adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. It's maybe 80% of what we see in the scoliosis realm. There are other kinds of scoliosis that make up smaller fractions, but hers is fairly algorithmic in its treatments. And she has a moderate curve that's usually treated with bracing at her age,' Sanford Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeon, Dr. William Hadden said. 'I had always kind of had it on the back of my mind to keep an eye out for it. And then, Brooke had pneumonia back in October, and the x-rays, whoever reviewed those at Sanford had noted that there was a curvature in the spine,' Bathke said. They are also evaluating Brooke's little sister Ellee at today's appointment, considering the family history. 'Nobody's identified the gene profile that leads to scoliosis exactly. Yet we do see it run in families, though, so it's not surprising that she has family members with scoliosis, too,' Hadden said. Local artists set up shop at Washington Pavilion 'if you have any concerns to just bring it up to your primary care doctor at their annual exams. It's a quick check, basically, to see if there's any sort of, imbalance between the left side and the right side of their back is one good notification of it and then, I think just the earlier the detection of it, the better,' Bathke said. At the check-up, they found out that Ellee also has scoliosis. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
