The Warren Police Department will be giving out free gun locks to the public ahead of gun violence prevention month in June.
At a press conference May 27, Eric Hawkins, Warren police commissioner, addressed a trend of juveniles having access to unsecured weapons in the home.
He said in the city of Warren, there have been six firearms-related deaths in 2026 so far, five of which were attributed to suicide. In Macomb County, he added there have been 41 firearms-related deaths so far in 2026, 93% of which were suicides.
He said this issue becomes especially important when many children spend the majority of their time at home during the summer months.
“We want to ensure that these environments are strictly managed by those who are in charge,” Hawkins said.
To promote gun safety, he stated the police department is intensifying its community outreach to provide free gun locks and safety training, specifically aiming to prevent “curiosity accidents,” which occurs when young children find unsecured firearms.
“This is a direct call to action to parents and guardians in the city of Warren: you are the front line of defense for this issue,” he said. “As the summer begins, please check your home, secure any firearms or other weapons, so that they do not end up in the hands of children within these environments.”
Hawkins said failing to store a firearm properly can lead to several criminal penalties from a misdemeanor up to a 15-year felony.
He pointed out vehicles do not count as a safe place to store a gun because they are regularly stolen.
“Take the time to remove the weapons from your car and secure them in a residence. If you must store a firearm in a vehicle, you are required to store it in a lock box or a container, keep it unloaded and also ensure that your vehicle itself is locked,” he said.
To promote safety and to hand out gun locks, Hawkins said community policing officers will be having regular neighborhood engagement walks to provide gun locks, advice and other safety measures. After announcing the measure Wednesday officers began to fan out Thursday.
To pick up a free gun lock, Hawkins said individuals can go to the front desk of the police department and there won’t be any record checks, warrant checks or any investigative questions asked. He added the police department has around 100 gun locks to hand out to start, but that they will get more as they’re needed.
Warren Mayor Lori Stone, a former Warren Fitzgerald teacher and state rep, also spoke at the press conference, saying she declared June 5 as Gun Violence Prevention Awareness Day in Warren.
“My background in education taught me that prevention and awareness matter whether it’s pool safety, firework safety or gun safety, these conversations save lives,” she said.
Stone said in the past two years, Warren has experienced multiple accidental shootings involving children that resulted injuries.
“No family should ever experience a preventable tragedy involving a child and an unsecured firearm,” she said. “These incidents are a reminder that these risks are real and that prevention matters. Safe storage saves lives.”
Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido also shared some of the legality regarding firearms.
“There is no constitutional right to possess a gun when you’re committing a felony,” he said.
Lucido said that there have been more CCW (carrying a concealed weapon without a concealed pistol license) and more felons in possession charges than ever before.
He said that his office now requires a mental health evaluation on every gun charge.
“If mental health is the crisis, and that’s what we were told, then we’re going to get the data to show everybody really what it is. 98.5% currently have nothing to do with mental health,” he said.
Jessica Roche, the managing director for the University of Michigan Institute of Firearm Injury Prevention, shared that her team has partnered with the Warren Police Department to provide training and technical assistance on how extreme risk protection orders can be a life-saving tool.
She also shared that extreme risk protection orders, or temporarily removing someone’s access to firearms if they are deemed to be a harm to themselves or others, can be a life-saving tool.
“We know that when someone is in crisis, providing time and space between them and a lethal means, such as firearms, is lifesaving,” she said.
Nicholas Lienemann and Todd Werner, police corporals, showed how to use a gun lock on a variety of different firearm types for those in attendance Wednesday.