Accidental shootings involving children are not something that just rarely happens, Natchez Police Chief Mike Mullins said.

&uot;In my 21-year career I’ve seen several people accidentally shot,&uot; he said. &uot;And if there had been a lock on the gun, it would not have happened.&uot;

Project ChildSafe, a program by the National Shooting Sports Foundation and supported by the United States Department of Justice, is making it easier to protect children from accidental shootings in the Miss-Lou.

The program is putting 20 million gun locking devices in American homes. Ferriday and Vidalia Police Departments each received 300 locks. Natchez Police Department received 200. The Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office received 1,300 and the Adams County Sheriff’s Office received 1,100.

Ferriday Assistant Police Chief Steve Cockerham said the locks would be available at FPD and give on a first-come, first-serve basis. However, he said, at first they are giving just one per household. &uot;In this area, we have a lot of households with firearms,&uot; Cockerham said. &uot;Anything that can be done to make these firearms safer, FPD wants to support that.&uot;

The CPSO will begin handing out their locks in May at the National Rifle Association banquet. The ACSO and the NPD will distribute their gunlocks at the Natchez Mall on April 10 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

&uot;We encourage residents to pick up a Project ChildSafe safety kit so that they can securely store their firearm,&uot; said Adams County Sheriff Ronny Brown. &uot;Each kit contains a safety curriculum and a cable-style gunlock. The locks fit on most types of handguns, rifles and shotguns.&uot;

Mullins said he would limit the number of gunlocks to two per person at first but would be willing to give out more if they were available. &uot;There is a definite need for it,&uot; Mullins said. &uot;These are easily preventable accidents. If the lock is on it is physically impossible for it to fire.&uot;

The locks are available commercially for about $15 at any store where guns are sold.

These locks work by putting a cable through the action. The cable lock is just one type of lock.

Mullins said gun users should always assume a gun is loaded unless they have personally checked it, never point a weapon at anyone and never put their finger on the trigger until they are ready to fire.

Project ChildSafe is distributing about 275,000 locks in Mississippi and about 342,000 in Louisiana throughout March, according to Frank Walker, a program representative.