In Baltimore, the first 100 gun locks at the Central Library disappeared within 24 hours. Starting in late July, Johns Hopkins University and the city’s public library system began distributing 800 free cable locks across five branches. No ID or explanation required.
Katherine Hoops, a pediatric critical care physician at Johns Hopkins who helped organize the effort, said the goal was to remove barriers. “We wanted it to be easy, low barriers,” she said. “Nobody’s going on a list.”
Hoops frequently sees the consequences of unsecured firearms in her work treating critically ill children and researching safe storage. Health care providers can encourage families to lock up their guns, but cost and time often get in the way. So Hopkins and the city turned to a trusted community resource: the library.
Why Secure Storage Matters
Research links secure firearm storage to lower risks of suicide and unintentional shootings. It creates a barrier between a gun and someone who should not have access—whether a curious toddler, a young person in crisis, or a thief.
“We see that secure storage is protective against suicide, definitely, but also homicide, unintentional injuries, and theft,” Hoops said.
Although gun deaths have fallen in recent years, firearm suicide deaths are still rising, and fastest among young people of color, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hoops noted that 80 percent of youth who die by firearm suicide used a family member’s or friend’s gun. “Secure storage is as important as ever, if not more so,” she said.
Libraries as Distribution Points
Baltimore’s program was inspired by a similar effort in Maryland’s Anne Arundel County, where public libraries distributed more than 2,300 gun locks. Over the past few years, library systems across the country have embraced the approach, often partnering with local health departments and city governments.
- Baltimore County and Howard County began offering locks last year.
- Tampa, Florida, added four libraries to its police department’s free gun lock program in 2024.
- Cincinnati and Hamilton County’s library system launched a program at its 41 locations.
- New Orleans libraries began hosting giveaways in 2023 with health officials, Children’s Hospital, and Be SMART.
- Los Angeles County offers free locks at six libraries.
- St. Louis County in Missouri makes them available at all 20 branches.
The appeal is simple: libraries are familiar, free public spaces, and people trust them. “We’re known in the community as being a neutral safe space,” said Monroe Goins, director of safety at Cleveland Public Library, which also runs a gun lock program.
Cleveland’s Pilot Program
Cleveland’s effort grew out of a conversation between library Director Felton Thomas Jr. and Ohio state Representative Darnell Brewer about Cincinnati’s program. The library partnered with Cuyahoga County and the Academy of Medicine of Cleveland and Northern Ohio on a yearlong pilot offering free gun locks and safes.
Distribution began in May at three branches selected using police data to identify neighborhoods where the effort could have the greatest impact. By July, Goins estimated the library had given out between 100 and 150 locks and safes. Residents must be at least 18, but no ID is required. They can walk in and ask while supplies last. The county also organizes sessions on how to use the equipment.
Cleveland’s library plans to assess the pilot after a year before deciding whether to expand. Goins said the program fits with responsibilities the library already assumes. Staff receive de-escalation training and connect people facing abuse or exploitation with resources. Gun locks are another practical form of help. “We are a partner with the community, and we take our role seriously,” he said.
Baltimore’s Broader Effort
In Baltimore, the library’s safe storage initiative is part of the city’s Comprehensive Violence Prevention Plan and supported by $245,000 in community project funding secured by U.S. Representative Kweisi Mfume.
Hoops expects the partnership between Johns Hopkins and Baltimore’s public library system to expand to more locations and offer different types of safes and locks. Helping families obtain equipment that meets their needs is key. For example, someone who owns a firearm for home defense may want a device that opens quickly.
“You can store your firearm securely and still have quick access to it,” she said.
Choosing the Right Storage Device
Cable locks can cost as little as $10, but they are more difficult to use, take longer to disengage, and are less of a deterrent than a safe. Gun safes tend to be more expensive, and modern quick-access biometric safes can cost upward of $150. The high cost may prevent someone from taking the step to store their gun safely because cheaper alternatives hinder the reason they bought the gun.
“You’re more likely to use the device that you choose,” Hoops said. “Sometimes we need to help and step in with the resources.”
The work is personal for Hoops, who treats critically ill and injured children. “I have taken care of too many children who have been injured or killed by firearms,” she said. Though child and teen gun deaths have fallen in recent years, firearms remain the leading cause of death for people under 18, surpassing car crashes for the sixth year in a row.
Hoops believes that if more people stored their firearms securely, it would help lessen the toll not just for children, but for everyone. “It’s not a perfect fix for everything,” she said, “but it helps for everything.”