The City of Ankeny is pleased to partner with the Polk County Health Department (PCHD) on their "Talk it Up, Lock it Up" gun safety campaign.
“We talk about car seat safety and the importance of wearing bicycle helmets, yet we haven’t talked about gun safety. Gun injuries are now a leading cause of death for children and young adults in Polk County. It is more important than ever, that we come together to improve the safety, health, and wellbeing of our children", said Helen Eddy, Director of PCHD.
PCHD’s prevention approach includes normalizing conversations about gun safety and safe storage among family and friends. It is important to talk about gun safety in relation to places where a child or young adult may spend time. This approach also includes conversations about safe firearm storage during physician visits, and increasing access to safe storage devices, such as trigger locks. Free trigger locks are available for pick up at PCHD and law enforcement agencies. Visit PCHD’s website to see pick up sites, including Ankeny Police Department Headquarters, 411 SW Ordnance Road in Ankeny.
“Regardless of your stance on guns, they are a part of our lives and there are important steps you can take as a parent to prevent accidents from happening. The Polk County Health Department and our healthcare partners have created an awareness campaign based on simple conversations and questions that you can have regarding the environment your children will be in. We are happy to support this campaign and hopeful that it can prevent gun injuries and deaths among our youth,” states Tom Hockensmith, Polk County Board Chair for Polk County Board of Supervisors.