The classes will be held at the Dayton Police Academy and will be taught by the academy staff.
“We want to assist our residents in making informed decisions on how they handle and store firearms, along with how to talk to their children about gun safety,” said Sgt. Steve Bernstein, instructor at the Dayton Police Academy, in a press release. “We look forward to launching this pilot program as part of our public safety mission.”
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 486 people were killed in accidental shootings in the United States in 2017.
“Almost every year we have children tragically injured and sometimes killed by guns that are not stored properly,” said Dayton police Maj. Brian Johns. “Last year we had a young boy accidentally shoot his brother with his dad’s gun that was found unsecured. Luckily, the boy survived. I just read last month about a child who was killed after finding his dad’s loaded service pistol.”
Lt. Matt Dickey, commander of the Dayton Police Academy, hopes that the program will help prevent such accidents.
“Accidental injuries from guns in the home have the potential to be tragic, but are entirely avoidable,” Dickey said. “This is an opportunity for the Dayton Police Department and the Dayton Police Academy to help serve the community and answer citizen questions in the hope that such accidents can be prevented.”
Registration for the classes is available at www.daytonohio.gov.
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