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Photo by Jim Craven Gun safety locks will be available at a cut price in a Rogue Federal Credit Union deal starting next week. Police note such locks can prevent tragic accidents. Rogue Federal will sell gun safety locks cheap By SUSAN JAY A lot more people are carrying concealed guns in Jackson County these days -- 7,700 more than in 1994. That's just one of the many reasons the Jackson County Sheriff's Department and Medford Police Department heartily support a new gun safety program launched by Rogue Federal Credit Union. The credit union announced Thursday that it will sell Smith and Wesson gun safety locks at reduced price in all branches starting next week. In stores the locks sell for $8.99 to $15. The bank will sell them for $5. Fifty cents of every dollar earned from the sales will go to Southern Oregon Drug Awareness. Credit union officials said they asked themselves after the Columbine High School shooting in Colorado last spring what Rogue Federal could do to help prevent such a tragedy. "As an organization we wanted to be able to do something," said Tim Alford, chief executive officer. He read about a bank back east that sold gun safety locks at a discounted price and decided to pursue the idea. The two-piece devices fit into the space behind a gun's trigger, locking the trigger into place. The program's kickoff was timely with the fall hunting season just around the corner, said Medford police Lt. Tim George. He noted the locks can be used on shotguns and rifles as well as handguns. "I can speak from past experience that this will prevent something tragic from happening," he said, noting he has seen many preventable accidental shootings as part of his job. A gun safety lock, George added, is an inexpensive way to protect against anyone but the owner using a gun. Sheriff Bob Kennedy said promoting gun safety locks is not a stance for gun control but for safety. He is concerned because of the increase in the number of licenses for concealed handguns processed by the sheriff's department. Five years ago, there were 400 to 500 licenses. "Today there are over 8,100," he said. Sandy Nelson, the traffic safety coordinator for the sheriff's department and a member of the county's Child Fatality Review Board, said it's exciting the credit union has made gun safety locks affordable for most families. "A child's mistake or curiosity should not cost them their life," she said. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA