About Project ChildSafe

Program Overview

Project ChildSafe® is a nationwide program whose purpose is to promote safe firearms handling and storage practices among all firearms owners through the distribution of safety education messages and free firearm safety kits. The kits include a cable-style gun-locking device and a brochure that discusses safe handling and storage practices.

The program was developed by the National Shooting Sports Foundation®, the trade association for the firearms and ammunition industry. For years, Project ChildSafe was a component of “Project Safe Neighborhoods,” a federal gun violence-prevention initiative, and was supported by grants from the U.S. Department of Justice with additional funding from NSSF®. Today, due to federal budget tightening, Project ChildSafe is sponsored solely by the firearms industry through NSSF.

Formed in 1961, NSSF manages a variety of outreach programs for its more than 7,000 members, with a special emphasis on efforts to promote firearm safety education. Project ChildSafe is an expansion of NSSF's Project HomeSafe program that was created in 1999 to educate gun owners about their responsibilities to safely handle and properly store firearms in the home with the goal of preventing accidents involving children.

Project ChildSafe operates in cooperation with law enforcement departments that provides the firearm safety kits free of charge to gun owners. Since 2003, Project ChildSafe has distributed more than 35 million safety kits to gun owners in all 50 states and in the five U.S. territories.

Project ChildSafe's success is attributable to law enforcement, elected officials, community leaders, state agencies, businesses and individuals who have worked to help raise awareness about the importance of securely storing firearms in the home.

Gun owners who wish to receive a free Project ChildSafe safety kit should contact a participating law enforcement agency in their area. Law enforcement agencies that want to participate in the program by distributing free firearm safety kits in their communities should contact NSSF here.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is Project ChildSafe?

Project ChildSafe is a nationwide program whose purpose is to promote safe firearms handling and storage practices among all firearms owners through the distribution of key safety education messages and free firearm safety kits that include a gun-locking device and educational brochure.  The program is supported by the non-for-profit National Shooting Sports Foundation. For years, Project ChildSafe received major funding from the U.S. Department of Justice and was a component of the federal Project Safe Neighborhoods program.

2. What is the National Shooting Sports Foundation?

The National Shooting Sports Foundation, with more than 7,000 members, is the trade association for the firearms and ammunition industry. Formed in 1961, the NSSF manages a variety of outreach programs with a special emphasis on efforts to promote firearm safety education to all gun owners.

3. What is the goal of Project ChildSafe?

Firearms accidents in the home can result from an unauthorized individual, often a child, finding a loaded and unsecured firearm in the home. The risk of firearms-related unintentional injuries or deaths can be reduced when firearms owners are aware of and fully understand their responsibility to handle firearms safely and store them in a secure manner. The goal of Project ChildSafe is to inform and educate all firearms owners on key safety issues and to provide firearms safety kits that include a gun-locking device.

4. What is the difference between Project ChildSafe and Project HomeSafe?

Project HomeSafe was developed by the National Shooting Sports Foundation to provide firearms safety education messages to firearms owners. Project ChildSafe, with an increased emphasis on preventing children from accessing a loaded firearm in the home, is an expansion of the Project HomeSafe program.

5. What is NSSF’s role in Project ChildSafe?

NSSF was appointed by the U.S. Department of Justice to administer Project ChildSafe because of NSSF’s experience and expertise in providing gun locks and safety education messages to firearms owners nationwide through the Project HomeSafe program. NSSF supplies safety kits, which include a gun lock and accompanying educational material on firearm safety, to its program partners and provides additional support and media outreach materials.

6. Who are Project ChildSafe partners?

Project ChildSafe establishes partnerships with governors, lieutenant governors, U.S. Attorneys, community leaders and law enforcement to allow for efficient distributions of firearm safety kits. Law enforcement can request a re-supply of firearm safety kits on a yearly basis as supplies allow.

7. What kind of locks are being distributed by Project ChildSafe?

The gun locking device distributed in the Project ChildSafe program is a cable-style gun lock that meets the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) current testing protocol standard (F2369-04) and the protocols established by the California Department of Justice. Cable locks require that many types of firearms be unloaded before the cable lock is installed, providing an extra level of safety.