NEWTOWN, Conn., and COLVILLE, Wash. –-(Ammoland.com)- The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) has recognized Mike Borg, President and Executive Director of USA Youth Education in Shooting Sports (USAYESS) of Colville, Washington, as a “Local Champion” for his efforts to promote firearm safety in his region.
The recognition comes as NSSF continues its “S.A.F.E. Summer Across America” campaign aimed at emphasizing the importance of responsible firearm storage.
Borg was selected for utilizing Project ChildSafe as an integral part in all of USAYESS youth outdoor experience events. These events introduce youth to outdoor activities, including clay targets, archery and other shooting sports. According to research conducted by USAYESS, 79 percent of children participating in the events had never touched a firearm.
Subsequently, 60 percent of parents polled were unaware these programs existed and did not have previous experience with firearm handling. Borg recognized the value of the Project ChildSafe program to educate both youth and their parents on the need for firearm safety.
“In my work, I have always seen a need for initiatives aimed at educating the general public about firearm safety,” Borg said. “It is important for us to educate both parents and youth to show that shooting sports are safe sports and provide young people with the knowledge of how to properly use and store firearms safely.”
S.A.F.E. Summer Across America is an extension of NSSF’s S.A.F.E. Summer campaign, first launched in 2013. Consistent with Project ChildSafe’s overarching message of “Own it? Respect It. Secure it.” S.A.F.E. Summer Across America is a reminder that properly storing firearms when they’re not in use is the number one way to help prevent firearm accidents, theft and misuse.
“S.A.F.E.” serves as an acronym for Store your firearms responsibly when not in use; Be Aware of those around you who should not have unauthorized access to guns; Focus on your responsibility as a firearm owner and Educate yourself and others about safe firearm handling and storage. The effort is focused on providing education and tools that help gun owners take responsible action to keep their families and communities safer.
“For more than a decade I have been using Project ChildSafe in my community to promote safe and responsible firearm handing and to help prevent accidents,” stated Borg. “It has been invaluable to our program and has allowed us to continue to educate more youth and parents every year.”
“NSSF is grateful for the work of Mike Borg and others like him who help make Project ChildSafe so effective at the community level,” said NSSF President Steve Sanetti. “This is another example of the firearm-owning community’s commitment to safety and personal responsibility that is helping to reduce firearm accidents nationally.”
NSSF launched Project ChildSafe in 1999 (prior to 2003 the program was called Project HomeSafe) as a nationwide initiative to promote firearms responsibility and provide safety education to all gun owners. While children are a focus, Project ChildSafe is intended to help young people and adults practice greater firearm safety in the home. Through partnerships with more than 15,000 law enforcement agencies, the program has provided more than 36 million free firearm safety kits to gun owners in all 50 states and five U.S. territories. That’s in addition to the more than 70 million free locking devices manufacturers have included with new firearms sold since 1998 and continue to do today. Fatal firearms accidents have dropped 22 percent during this period.
Project ChildSafe was originally supported by federal grants provided by the U.S. Department of Justice. Since 2008, when this funding was cut, the firearms manufacturing industry has solely funded the Project ChildSafe program through the members of NSSF. www.projectchildsafe.org/