A pamphlet with information on how to use a gun lock is placed near a Harm Reduction Vending Machine on the South Side. Residents can get gun locks for free from the machines. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)

Milwaukee, like many cities across America, has a gun problem. The city’s ongoing struggle with gun violence underscores the need for solutions to prevent homicides, suicides and shootings.  

One of the best ways to help prevent firearms-related injuries is to safely and securely store your gun and use a gun lock. 

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Thankfully, free gun locks are available through a number or organizations in Milwaukee listed below.  

According to information from the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, firearms, when not in use, should be stored, locked and unloaded, with the ammunition stored separately. 

In addition, locks and combinations should be inaccessible to children and teens and those who are at risk of harming themselves or others. If someone in your home is at-risk of using a firearm to injure themselves or others, the gun should be removed from the home.  

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, there is strong evidence that suggests that a firearm in the home increases the risk of adolescent suicide. 

In addition to misuse and firearm injuries, guns stored unsafely in the home or in cars are more likely to be stolen, according to research from the Joyce Foundation, a Chicago-based philanthropic organization. 

Where to find free gun locks

Name: Harm Reduction Vending Machines 

Location: Various

Free gun locks can be accessed at any of 19 Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Services Harm Reduction Vending Machines. Here’s a link to a map  showing all the locations. Several machines are housed within local nonprofits and community centers. You can also access Narcan and other harm-reduction supplies through the vending machines.

Name: Milwaukee Police Department  

Location: Various

The Milwaukee Police Department makes available free gun locks at some of its district stations.  They recommend that you contact your local police district station to check on availability.

Name: Office of Community Wellness and Safety 

Residents can obtain free gun locks through the City of Milwaukee’s Office of Community Wellness and Safety by calling Quinn Taylor, community violence prevention coordinator, at 414-559-3201. 

Name: United Neighborhood Centers of Milwaukee (UNCOM) 

Location: 1609 W. North Ave.  

Residents can pick up free gun locks at the UNCOM home office on North Avenue any weekday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

Name: Milwaukee Christian Center

Address: 807 S. 14th St. 

The Milwaukee Christian Center provides free gun locks for residents at its food pantry Monday through Thursday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. 

Name: Team HAVOC

Team HAVOC, a grassroots organization that conducts street outreach, provides free gun locks for residents while tabling at events. To learn about upcoming events where you can obtain a gunlock from the group, visit their Facebook page.

Name: Journey House 

Location: 2110 W. Scott St. 

Located in the Clarke Square neighborhood, Journey House provides free gun locks for residents. 

Where to find safe gun storage

Name: Wisconsin Gun Shop Project & Safe Storage Program (Milwaukee County Locations)

Location: Multiple 

The Live Today-Put It Away project allows participating gun shops to provide firearm suicide prevention and safety information and gun storage at a location outside of your home for a low fee. You can find various locations in Milwaukee County here.

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Raised in a South Side neighborhood where he still lives, Edgar Mendez is the managing editor of the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service. Mendez is a proud graduate of UW-Milwaukee, where he double majored in journalism and sociology, and of Marquette University, where he earned a master’s degree in communication. He won a 2018 Regional Edward R. Murrow Award and 2014, 2017, and 2018 Milwaukee Press Club Awards for his reporting on taverns, marijuana law enforcement, and lead in water service lines. In 2008, he won a Society of Professional Journalists’ regional award for columns dealing with issues such as poverty, homelessness and racism. His writing has been published by the Associated Press, Reuters, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and other media. He has also co-authored three articles published in scholarly journals.