A new program allows gun owners to temporarily store their weapon with the Cincinnati Police Department. The Out-of-Home Safe Firearm Storage program aims to help ensure guns don’t end up in the wrong hands.
Chief Theresa Theetge says so far this year there have been nearly 350 shooting victims and 12 gun-related suicide deaths.
"And the most astonishing: So far in 2024 we have had three gun-related accidental deaths," Theetge said. "But what is shocking is the age of those victims: 13, 12, and two. So if those numbers don't shock the conscience into understanding why you need to safely store your guns, I don't know what will."
City Council member Anna Albi introduced the idea. She says there are many scenarios that might prompt a gun owner to use the program.
"If there's ever a time when someone in your house is struggling with a mental health crisis, or kids are coming to visit, or perhaps you're leaving town and you don't want your gun stolen, this Safe Gun Storage Program will be available," she said.
Albi says this type of program has been successful in other parts of the country.
You can store your weapons for as little as one day or as long as six months. It's free for participants. Theetge says it will not cost CPD to operate the program because they will utilize the personnel and storage areas already in use.
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The program is open to anyone, not just Cincinnati residents. Gun owners must agree to the police department adding the gun to their database, and agree to a background check before getting the weapon back.
Learn more on the CPD website.
