Oakland County officials are taking aim at the rising incidents of gun-related violence by offering free locks to firearms owners.

Oxford and Addison residents are invited to obtain free gun safety locks from their local law enforcement agency.

The Oakland County Board of Commissioners partnered with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office to distribute 4,000 gun locks to police departments in the county June 10 for Gun Safety Awareness Day.

All gun lock kits were donated by Project ChildSafe, a nonprofit organization committed to promoting firearm safety among firearm owners. The kits include a cable-style gun-locking device and a brochure that discusses safe handling and secure storage guidelines for firearms.

Oxford and Addison residents can pick up a free lock at the Oxford Village Police station (22 W. Burdick St.) and the sheriff’s substations in both Oxford (300 Dunlap Rd.) and Addison (1440 Rochester Rd.) while supplies last.

Locks are available to Oakland County residents only and there’s a limit of up to two locks per person.

National statistics indicate 62 children are fatally shot every year. Two-thirds of them are in homes or vehicles where guns weren’t properly stored and secured.

“This is all in an effort to promote gun safety and proper weapon storage,” said county Commissioner Michael Spisz (R-Oxford).

Spisz is a member of the county’s Curbing Gun Violence Study Group, formed back in 2013 in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut that claimed the lives of 20 children and six adults.

Although the lock distribution on Gun Safety Awareness Day is an annual event for the county, this year county officials took the initiative a step further with the introduction of “Lock-it-Up Oakland.”

Through this effort, the county has also paired with local retailers to promote the use of gun safes, in addition to the locks.

According to Spisz, Dunham’s Sports and Safes and Guns Unlimited in Keego Harbor will offer a 15 percent discount on the purchase of gun safes through June 21 as part of the program.

Other sponsors for Lock-It-Up Oakland include Costco and Sam’s Club.

Spisz said the county’s effort to curb gun violence through this program has been widely successful.

“Every year, the effort has gotten a little bit bigger,” he said. “We get a lot of comments back from the police agencies saying they get a lot of positive feedback when people come in. Everything has shown the event to be (moving our community) in the right direction and having a positive impact.”

To learn more about the giveaway, visit www.oakgov.com/boc or LockItUpOakland.com.