Long Beach is giving away 200 gun safes next week with the intent of preventing accidental gun deaths and firearm theft.
The free safes, which weigh about 10 pounds and can fit two handguns, will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis starting at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 4. No registration is required.
This is the second straight year that Long Beach has held the one-day event. Last year, all safes were claimed within 15 minutes.
Long Beach residents can pick them up from:
- Main Health (2525 Grand Ave.)
- Miller Family Health Education Center (3820 Cherry Ave.)
- Ron Arias Health Equity Center (6335 Myrtle Ave.)
About 67 safes will be handed out at each location.
Residents are advised not to bring firearms to the sites, as weapons are prohibited at city facilities.
All gun safes will come with gun safety educational materials, according to the city.
The giveaway was funded by $40,000 from the city’s budget as part of the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services’ violence prevention strategy.
Firearms have outpaced motor vehicles as the leading cause of death among children and adolescents aged 1-17, according to a nationwide study by the Kaiser Family Foundation. From 2014 to 2024, the number of firearm deaths among children and adolescents rose 68%, according to the study.
By contrast, gun deaths specifically in Long Beach have been declining. In the first half of 2025, shootings hit a five-year low, police announced at the time.
Storing guns safely is “a proven strategy to reduce risk,” Acting City Health Officer Dr. Cliff Okada said in a statement. Locking them away can help stop accidental shootings, theft and even suicide, he added.
When stored unlocked, the most common places for a firearm were inside or on top of a nightstand, under a mattress or pillow and on top of a shelf or inside a closet, according to a Dec. 2023 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.