U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume secured $245,000 in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Justice to support the purchase and distribution of biometric gun safes, lockboxes, and cable locks across Baltimore City, in partnership with community-based organizations and at adult and pediatric trauma centers at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Johns Hopkins Children's Center, and Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. This approach to gun safety is backed by research from the Center for Gun Violence Solutions at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
"Our research shows firearm owners are more likely to adopt safe and secure storage practices when they can choose from a range of devices that meet their needs, such as biometric safes for quick access or cable locks for hunting rifles," says Katherine Hoops, director of clinical programs and practice at the Center for Gun Violence Solutions. "The data clearly show that safe storage of firearms prevents suicide, homicide, theft, and unintentional injuries. Simply put, safe storage saves lives."
In addition to securing gun locks and safes for distribution through local community partners, the funding will cover the purchase of safe storage devices for hospital-based programs to distribute the safety equipment to patients and families.
"Safe firearm storage is central to Johns Hopkins' broader violence intervention work—efforts that include not just expert care after a trauma occurs, but also initiatives designed to prevent those traumas from happening," says Kevin Sowers, president of the Johns Hopkins Health System and executive vice president of Johns Hopkins Medicine. "This initiative gives our patients, neighbors, and fellow Baltimore residents the tools they need to store firearms responsibly, making our community safer for everyone."
Mfume visited Johns Hopkins Hospital on Monday, March 30 and was joined by Sowers; Hoops; Cassandra Crifasi and Joshua Horwitz, co-directors of Johns Hopkins' Center for Gun Violence Solutions; Redonda Miller, president of Johns Hopkins Hospital; and Maria Harris Tildon, Johns Hopkins University and Medicine's vice president for Government, Community and Economic Partnerships. Other attendees included representatives from Johns Hopkins Hospital's trauma and violence intervention program, the pediatric trauma team, and the Office of Federal Strategy.
