COLUMBUS, Ohio — Multiple branches of the Cleveland Public Library will start handing out free gun safety devices in May.
When you check out at the library, it's usually for books, movies and magazines. Some new inventory will come free of charge.
"Coming out to the library, you can grab a gun box and a book," Christopher Brewer, a Cleveland resident, said.
The Cleveland Public Library is working with local officials, including the Cuyahoga County Office of Violence Prevention, to give out gun storage devices at several branches, following a successful launch in Cincinnati. The Academy of Medicine of Cleveland and Northern Ohio is funding this project and has already given out hundreds of free gun safes across the state.
"I've already picked up my lockbox as well as my gun lock, and I am definitely taking them home," Cleveland resident Amiya Hutson said.
Gun owners like her are already scoping them out. Our news reports showing an uptick in kids getting access to guns worries her, she said.
"I definitely do not want to be the one who, somebody came into my home and took my gun out and then killed people with my gun," she said.
The pilot program begins in May at three Cleveland library locations: Glenville, Lorraine and Rice. The locations were chosen based on "community need," according to library CEO Felton Thomas Jr.
They will be offered for adults 18 and older, no ID needed, while supplies last. No firearms are allowed at any public library, and the library asks that they be left at home when picking up the devices.
Each participating library campus will host educational sessions that connect residents with local organizations and services focused on violence prevention and responsible firearm storage.
Clevelander William Bufford said this was much needed to make his community safer.
"I'm gonna share this with my friends as soon as I finish my interview," he said to me. "I'm gonna send my friends a picture and tell them to get down to their local library and grab one."
He said it should be required to have a lockbox. His relative, state Rep. Darnell Brewer (D-Cleveland), has been trying to do for years.
"I have to react, and part of that reaction is making these small steps," Brewer said in an interview following the event.
During the press conference, he mentioned the suicide that occurred in the cafeteria on Monday at Valley Forge High School in Parma.
"We know this type of thing may have — we can't forecast the future — prevented something like this," Brewer said.
He has been urging his colleagues to support legislation requiring owners to lock up their guns. On Tuesday, he told us he will introduce a new bill requiring firearms in the home to be securely stored when not being carried or used.
It also creates a voluntary program that allows families to temporarily store firearms with a licensed dealer or law enforcement agency, as well as providing a nonrefundable tax credit to help families afford gun safes, lock boxes and other secure storage devices.
It would require the Attorney General's Office to create a pamphlet explaining safe storage options.
The bill would be nicknamed "Amya's Law," after a Columbus 11-year-old who was accidentally shot and killed by her 14-year-old cousin.
Republicans have encouraged responsible gun ownership, but many say a safe storage requirement is unconstitutional.
"I don't think it's up to the government to mandate it because I think it would be an infringement of the Second Amendment," state Rep. Josh Williams (R-Sylvania Township) told us in a previous interview.
RELATED: Ohio lawmakers urging residents to safely store guns amid rising child deaths
Both the cities of Columbus and Cincinnati have been trying to keep guns locked away from children. Each is currently defending their local ordinances in court.
While being brought to court, Cincinnati has stayed on top of community projects to encourage safe storage, such as their gun lock distribution program. Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library's program has given out about 500 safety devices since 2024, according to its spokesperson, Angela Hursh.
"If our experience helps other libraries adopt similar approaches in their own communities, that’s an encouraging outcome," Hursh said.
However, last week, Senate Republicans passed a bill that would penalize local governments for enacting gun safety requirements.
RELATED: Ohio GOP senators pass bill to punish cities for gun regulations
"Is this the way to try to get something done under this supermajority that does not want to put any form of regulations in place?" I asked Brewer.
"Sometimes it's not just about regulation," he responded. "I have to save my community if my fellow counterparts don't want to help."
Hutson said she just wants the lawmakers to focus on safety.
"I think this should be apolitical," she said. "I think that the gun laws should be a bit safer, but I do think that we do have some good gun laws in place."
Now the challenge: getting this message out to the community.
"I don't think I would have thought about it if it wasn't for the program," Hutson said. "I do have them in what I consider to be a safe place, but now they'll be doubly safe."
RELATED: Ohio had 2 mass shootings in 1 weekend; GOP lawmakers say gun safety regulations won't fix issue
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