Baltimore secures $245K federal grant for free gun safety storage devices

Baltimore City has received a federal funding boost to promote safe firearm storage. U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume secured $245,000 from the U.S. Department of Justice for the initiative. The money will provide biometric gun safes, lockboxes, and cable locks to residents through local hospitals and community groups.

Mfume visited Johns Hopkins Hospital on Monday, March 30, to announce the program. He was joined by health leaders, including Kevin Sowers, president of the Johns Hopkins Health System.

The funding will support hospital-based programs at Johns Hopkins Hospital, the Johns Hopkins Children's Center, and Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. These facilities will distribute the storage devices to patients and families at risk. Community-based organisations will also take part in the effort.

Research from the Center for Gun Violence Solutions backs the approach. Safe storage reduces suicide, homicide, theft, and accidental shootings. This initiative is part of Johns Hopkins' wider violence prevention work, aimed at cutting trauma and improving community safety. Over the past five years, no other Maryland municipalities outside Baltimore City have received similar federal funds for firearm storage programs. The project marks a targeted effort to address gun safety in the region.

The $245,000 grant will fund the purchase and distribution of secure storage devices across Baltimore. Hospitals and community groups will work together to reach those most in need. The program aligns with evidence-based strategies to lower gun-related harm in the city.