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LOCK & UNLOAD for Gun SafeT Week September 22-26

LOCK & UNLOAD for Gun SafeT Week September 22-26
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 17, 2014

MEDIA CONTACTS
Gwen Schuler, Media and Communications, gschuler@cityoftacoma.org, (253) 591-5160
Megan Marquett, Media and Communications, mmarquett@cityoftacoma.org, (253) 591-5051

LOCK & UNLOAD for Gun SafeT Week September 22-26


Gun SafeT: LOCK & UNLOAD is a City of Tacoma initiative to help raise awareness and bring safety education around firearm use, storage and safe surrender to residents.

The City is making gun safety the focus the last week of this September part of the effort to target the correlation between gang involvement and access to guns, which was identified in the 2011 Tacoma Gang Assessment as one of four key findings.

It will kick off at 11 a.m. on Sept. 22 with a press conference at Ben Gilbert Park located on St. Helens at Court C, to launch the campaign’s artwork, which will be showcased on posters before being seen across Pierce County on buses. Diane Powers, human services manager, Deputy Mayor Woodards and Shalisa Hayes, Billy Ray Shirley III Foundation founder, will speak about the importance of the initiative and of gun safety, and Hayes will talk firsthand about losing her son.

Tuesday, Sept. 23 the Gun SafeT initiative video will debut at a Tacoma City Council presentation at 5 p.m. at the Tacoma Municipal Building. Mayor Marilyn Strickland will recognize the week as Gun SafeT Awareness Week in Tacoma.

Wednesday, Sept. 24 from 5:30-8:00p.m. Evergreen, Tacoma (Lyceum Hall, 1210 6th Ave, Tacoma, WA 98405) is partnering with the City to host LOCK & UNLOAD: A Community Conversation on Gun Safety. The event is free to attend and will include a panel discussion as well as time for questions.

Thursday, Sept. 25 youth and adults are encouraged to take the Gun SafeT pledge, which is online at cityoftacoma.org/gunsafeT. The City has partnered with youth organizations to have a take the pledge day.

Friday, Sept. 26 Gun SafeT bus ads will debut in Pierce County. Citizens are encouraged to use the hashtag #gunsafeT to share whenever they spot one of the bus ads.

For more information about the initiative, go to cityoftacoma.org/gunsafeT.
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