Even free gun locks shackled by politics
Denial based on viewpoint now is raising questions
AUSTIN — Eight years after her son died in an accidental shooting in 2009, Leesa Ross began preaching safe firearms storage at schools around Austin and giving out as many gun locks as she could.
So when Gov. Greg Abbott announced a $1 million grant to flood the state with 625,000 free gun locks after a slew of mass shootings, Ross went to her local police station last year to ask for 100 of them.
She was told no.
Behind the scenes, the firearms trade association overseeing the grant had advised the Austin Police Department not to give Ross the locks because of her association with a group that advocates for gun control, emails obtained by Hearst Newspapers indicate.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation, the group Abbott’s office hired to distribute the locks, voiced concern that Ross’ participation could risk alienating gun owners because of her “political agenda.”
The NSSF distributes gun locks though its Project Childsafe.
“While I respect her clear commitment to firearms safety,” a communications consultant for
the foundation said in an email to an Austin police officer last September, “her alignment with Project Childsafe and our locks could cause controversy given her political agenda and alienate gun owners and those with whom we have the most capacity to effect change.”
The consultant added, “I’m happy to discuss how we can best help you push back on these requests internally and directly with her.”
The exchange reveals how even the most benign gun safety measure can become entangled in partisan politics. And it raises questions about whether taxpayerfunded services should be steered toward some but not others, based on their political views.
“Everybody should be able to get these gun locks,” said Ross, who’s a board member of Texas Gun Sense and is affiliated with Everytown for Gun Safety’s survivor network.
Ross said she’s also a member of the National Rifle Association.
“It’s about saving lives,” she said. “That is the goal.”
The National Shooting Sports Foundation represents firearms manufacturers and has lobbied against gun restrictions.
Abbott chose the NSSF to distribute the cable gun locks free to the public through its long-running Project Childsafe. The cables are threaded through a gun’s chamber to prevent it from firing.
A letter obtained by Hearst Newspapers shows the foundation asked its law enforcement partners not to give the gun locks to members of Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action, two national groups that advocate for stricter firearm laws.
“Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action and other groups are funded by individuals who support and advocate for firearms public policy legislation and regulations at both the state and federal levels,” said the September 2019 letter to the Austin Police Department. “We have found that their safety events often include calls for political advocacy for gun control.”
Abbott awarded the $1 million grant after a shooting at Santa Fe High School in May 2018 that officials said was carried out by a teenager using his father’s guns. The teen killed eight students and two teachers.
Abbott’s office didn’t respond to questions about the memo or whether he agreed with how the NSSF is distributing the cable locks.
The foundation stands by the letter that “requests its law enforcement partners not share Project Childsafe gun locks with unauthorized groups,” spokesman Bill Brassard said in an email.
The request is sent to all law enforcement agencies that receive gun locks and safety brochures to hand out to the public, he said. A Moms Demand Action spokeswoman said everyone should be working together to promote secure gun storage to prevent suicides, school shootings and unintentional shootings by children.
“As a survivor of gun suicide and someone who learned how to shoot a rifle before I learned long division, it’s absurd that anyone would want fewer gun locks in the hands of gun owners,” said Taylor Maxwell, director of communications for Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. “This is beyond politics — it’s about keeping our kids and families safe.”
Making gun locks accessible is one step state Republican leaders have taken after mass shootings in Santa Fe, Sutherland Springs, El Paso and Midland-odessa rocked Texas over the past few years.
Legislators have been reluctant to impose restrictions on gun ownership, and this year passed a law affirming the right of Texans to carry concealed firearms in schools and places of worship.
They also offered up $1 million for a campaign to promote safe gun storage. The Texas Department of Public Safety is expected to launch the program later this year.
The free gun locks program is an initiative of Abbott’s. The $1 million grant is expected to pay for 625,000 gun locks and safety brochures.
At least 29 law enforcement agencies have requested the kits from the NSSF to distribute the locks in their cities.
It remains to be seen how many will follow the foundation’s guidance on how to distribute the locks.
The Houston Police Department has received 400 locks from NSSF, but spokesman Kese Smith said he knew of no restrictions on their distribution.
Bexar County recently launched its own effort to make 17,000 gun locks free and available to the public, an effort funded by local government.
Danna Halff, a San Antonio volunteer for Moms Demand Action, said the group always has worked well with local law enforcement agencies
“I can’t speak for the whole state, but in Bexar County we are working with our law enforcement and very closely with our
Sheriff’s Office and the county,” Halff said.
Ross said the Austin Police Department has yet to fulfill her request for 100 gun locks to give away at safety seminars she runs for high school and college students through her organization, Lock Arms for Life.
Internal Police Department emails show officer Jeffrey Binder sent Ross’ email requesting the locks — which included information about her various titles and affiliations — to the NSSF’S communications consultant, Mallory Kuenzi of APCO Worldwide. Kuenzi advised against the partnership.
In a separate email, a police community engagement coordinator wrote to others within the department: “I don’t think she (Ross) understands it’s not our policy, but NSSF policy on who we distribute the gun locks to.”
The Austin Police Department did not respond to questions about the emails or the number of gun locks it has distributed.
In an interview, Ross said anyone working to pass out gun locks in the community should be assisted.
“It is our governor giving them money. They cannot dictate the policy to the gun locks,” she said. “Where is this coming from?”