LIMA, Ohio (WLIO) – Heir Force Community School will host a pilot program aimed at reducing gun violence and promoting gun safety in the area.
The program, called Store It Safe: Empowering Families through Awareness and Action, is designed for school-age children and their parents. It provides a space for open conversations about gun safety, the importance of locks and lockboxes, and what children should do if they encounter a firearm. By understanding risk factors, parents can take steps at home to encourage safe storage.
“To be engaged, parents have to be a part of it. They have to take ownership of this initiative. They have to be willing to work. The other piece of this is that we're excited about holding monthly meetings so that we can have some degree of accountability with our parents and with our children. We just want to create a healthy and safe community, and not just Heir Force, but city of Lima is really working toward, how do we create more opportunities for us to be able to educate children, families, etc.,” said Dr. Willie Heggins, executive director of Heir Force Community School.
“That's what's so unique about it, the kids and the parents right together. They get to hear it together. They get to communicate together. And then some of the things we don't do, we don't educate. Some of these kids don't know what to do with a gun when they find it. They'll have locks on. We're gonna have box lock safety, gun safety,” said Derry Glenn, Lima’s 6th Ward Councilman.
The program will begin in November, and organizers hope what is developed at Heir Force can be expanded to other schools in Allen County.
