The Bucks County gun-lock program is called Ben’s Campaign. It’s named for 2-year-old Benjamin Smith. In 2016, he got a hold of his dad’s gun in Milford Township and shot and killed himself.
She points to murder-suicides possibly driven by confusion, and the possibility of a senior pulling a gun if they don’t recognize a care-giver or if they get confused when first-responders come into their home.
The locks are also recommended if someone in a suicidal state has access to a gun. The suicide rate is highest among men over 65, most often with a firearm.
The cable gun locks are free, paid for by a partnership with Connecticut-based Project ChildSafe. They’re available for free at the Bucks County Sheriff’s Office at the Courthouse in Doylestown, the Lower End Government Services Office in Levittown, and the Government Services Offices in Quakertown.
Weintraub read a statement from Ben’s mother, Courtney Hotaling.
She wrote, “You might say putting on and taking off these gun locks takes too long, but let me assure you ... had that extra time been utilized in my son’s father’s home, then I would still be spending time with my Benny.”
The boy’s father, Nicholas Wyllie, served two years in prison. He testified his son told him he was going into the bedroom of their apartment to watch Winnie the Pooh, and that’s when he heard the gunshot.