City of Flint to provide free gun locks to residents at Service Center

Flint, MI — The Flint Police Department and Office of Public Health will hand out free gun locks to residents at the City of Flint Service Center on Clio Rd.

The event will occur on Friday, June 7, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

The Genesee County Health Department is providing 150 gun locks to combat gun violence and prevent accidental firearm injuries and deaths.

This effort is happening during a new secure storage law, Public Act 17 of 2023, that has been in effect since February 2024 and requires unattended weapons to be unloaded and locked with a locking device or stored in a locked box or container in spaces where a minor is or likely to be on the property. 

If a minor acquires a firearm after an individual fails to store it correctly and does any of the following, that person would be guilty of a crime under Public Act 16 of 2023, and penalized as follows:

If the minor possesses or exhibits the firearm in a public place or possesses or exhibits the firearm in the presence of another person in a careless, reckless, or threatening manner: a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to 93 days or a fine of up to $500, or both.

If the minor discharges the firearm and injures themselves or another individual: a felony punishable by imprisonment for up to five years or a fine of up to $5,000, or both.

If the minor discharges the firearm and inflicts serious impairment of a body function on themselves or another individual: a felony punishable by imprisonment for up to 10 years or a fine of up to $7,500, or both.

If the minor discharges the firearm and inflicts death on themselves or another individual: a felony punishable by imprisonment for up to 15 years or a fine of up to $10,000, or both.

Individuals who don’t abide by the law could be subject to these consequences alongside any additional criminal offense from the incident.