A boy reaches into what looks like a nightstand drawer and grabs hold of a handgun.
The message beside the image — towering over streets, pedestrians and motorists — reads: “Every 30 hours, a child is killed or injured by gun violence in LA County.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control, between 2003 and 2021, accidental gun deaths of children ages 17 and under were most likely to happen in a house or apartment; 56% occurred in a child’s home. In 2022, more than 800 deaths in LA County involved a firearm and of those, 313 were due to gun suicide.
“A significant portion of the gun violence that plagues our communities – especially unintentional deaths or injuries and gun suicides – can be prevented if firearms in the home are kept locked and unloaded,” said Barbara Ferrer, director of the county department of public health in a prepared statement.
The graphic displays have been popping up on 150 billboards in mostly residential neighborhoods adjacent to the 710 and 10 freeways since early this month. The billboards are sponsored by LA Care Health Plan, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health’s Office of Violence Prevention and the Los Angeles County Medical Association (LACMA).
The billboards are the messaging portion of a two-pronged approach aimed at reducing gun violence that often results in the injury or death of children. The three groups have also begun handing out gun locks at hospitals and clinics.
Since April 2, the county departments and its medical partners have begun distributing more than 60,000 cable gun locks free of charge, no questions asked. To receive a gun lock, gun owners can visit lockedandunloaded.org and fill out a form to receive a free gun lock in the mail.
The effort sends a message to owners of guns to keep them locked and unloaded in the home. Also, the county and medical partners want people to share this information with their neighbors.
“Gun violence exacts a devastating toll on our communities, especially our youth. By advocating for responsible gun safety measures, such as the use of gun locks, we can prevent tragic accidents and save lives,” said Gustavo Friederichsen, CEO of LACMA.
“We invite our healthcare community to help spread the word and we urge every member of our community to take advantage of this opportunity to make our homes safer and protect our loved ones,” Friederichsen said.
Starting last week, the county began distributing gun locks at six medical facilities:
— Harbor-UCLA Medical Center;
— High Desert Regional Health Center;
— Los Angeles General Medical Center;
— Martin Luther King Jr. Outpatient Center;
— Olive View-UCLA Medical Center; and
— Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center
“Gun locks are a step that every gun owner can take to ensure we don’t lose another child in a senseless firearm death,’ said John Baackes, L.A. Care CEO.
The program was started in late November 2023 by the LA County Board of Supervisors. The board directed DPH and Office of Violence Prevention to implement a plan for distribution of gun locks at county health facilities.
Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in December began offering free gun locks to employees and physicians. The hospital treated gun victims from the Saugus High School shooting in Santa Clarita in 2019.
A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that nearly 86% of school shootings involved handguns. The study revealed that the majority of the firearms were acquired from a shooter’s family or relatives.
Staff writer Olga Grigyorants contributed to this report.