MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Regardless of where the country stands with current gun laws, in and around Memphis these weapons exist in many homes.
For those that have firearms and kids at home, Project: Child Safe represents an effort to educate kids specifically on gun safety.
Retired Shelby County Sheriff's Captain Bennie Cobb owns Eagle Eye Security and training services. He trains families on gun safety by explaining subjects like locking up guns, knowing when to use them and how to operate the weapons.
Cobb said that they begin teaching to children at six years of age because customized weapons can be mistaken as toys. Some parents have a hard time identifying real and fake guns, according to Cobb.
“Education is the key to help eliminate and reduce these accidental incidents with kids and that’s what we’re going to do,” Cobb said.
When children go through the program they sign a pledge affirming that they will do five specific things.
Some of these points include not handling guns without permission from a grown-up they know, never playing with guns and not to go snooping or allow their friends to go snooping for guns. Additionally, if a child finds a gun—even if it looks like a toy—they pledge that they will not touch it, but tell an adult. Children also pledge to obey the rules of safe gun handling.