Oct 26, 2026
For today’s young people, school lockdowns and active shooter drills are part of life. 7 million U.S. children live in a home with at least one unlocked, loaded firearm. Guns are the #1 means of death of children and teens in Missouri, Kansas and the U.S.
Research shows that people often turn to their faith leaders for guidance on issues that affect their families and communities. We believe gun safety can be one of those issues—not as a political matter, but as a matter of protecting lives.
Last year, our 13th Annual Community Forum, “Faith and Firearms: Turning Faith Into Action,” brought together nearly 400 people, including individuals from 16 area congregations representing a variety of faith traditions. We are now reaching out to those congregations— and to others in the community - to explore ways we can work together.
We are pleased to offer either or both of these options:
A 15–20-minute presentation about GGS, our work since 2013, and our signature Lock It for Love program. Since 2017, we have distributed free, high-quality gun locks and safety information at community events and through partners. In July, we reached an important milestone: more than 11,000 locks distributed since the program began.
A Lock It for Love event at your congregation, where members can receive free gun locks along with information about safe firearm storage and how to use the locks.
Safe firearm storage is a proven way to reduce the risk of suicide, unintentional shootings, and other firearm-related injuries. With suicide accounting for the largest share of firearm deaths, making firearms less accessible in moments of crisis can be especially important.
