Samaritan, Sportsman’s Warehouse team up to give away gun lockboxes

MOSES LAKE — Samaritan Hospital, along with a number of sponsors including Sportsman’s Warehouse, are teaming up to give away 300 lockboxes on Saturday to help people keep their handguns safely stored, according to a Samaritan statement.

The giveaway will be held at Sportsman’s Warehouse at 1020 N. Stratford Rd. in Moses Lake on Saturday, June 10, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m, according to Carrie Nordberg, Samaritan Hospital’s physician recruiter and community outreach specialist, and is the first fully live version of the lockbox giveaway since 2019, prior to the outbreak of COVID-19.

Anyone is eligible to get a free lockbox, which can be used to store handguns, Nordberg said, though to receive the combination lock box, recipients will fill out a form and watch a short demonstration on how to set and change the lockbox combination.

“Our main focus is on homes that have small children. Children are really smart when it comes to locating a firearm in the home,” she said. “That’s why we’re giving away boxes with a combination lock. Children usually know where the key is.”

Each person is limited to one lockbox, and each household is limited to two, Nordberg said. Recipients must be 18 years or older to receive a free lockbox.

In the past, the giveaway has included trigger guards, but Nordberg said this year they are only giving away lockboxes.

The program was started by Seattle Children’s Hospital and came to Moses Lake in 2017, Nordberg said, and the idea is not only to make it harder for children to get ahold of handguns but also to put a barrier in-between someone feeling suicidal and a weapon.

“It gives a moment of prevention,” she said.

Joining Samaritan in the giveaway is Sportsman’s Warehouse, the Moses Lake Police Department, the Grant County Sheriff’s Office, Moses Lake Community Health, the Washington Department of Commerce’s Office of Firearms Safety and Violence Prevention and local media outlet KRDM FM 99.3.

“We’re very excited to have so many local businesses supporting something that’s so important to the community,” Nordberg said. “We encourage everyone in the community to come if they need this.”

For more information, contact Samaritan Hospital at 509-793-9724.

Charles H. Featherstone can be reached at cfeatherstone@columbiabasinherald.com.

Correction: The lockboxes being given away are for the purpose of storing handguns and may not be certified for storing other items. Those who obtain a lockbox are encouraged to consult the owner’s manual for proper use of the devices.