BIN Launches ‘Lock It & Store It’
• BIN: Black Information Network, the 24/7 national audio news network dedicated to providing trusted, fact-based journalism with a Black voice and perspective, announced “Lock It and Store It! A BIN Gun Safety Awareness Campaign” to inform the community about the importance of keeping guns out of the reach of children to help save lives The campaign will include the airing of special features, news reports and social media on the costs and impacts of unintentional shootings by Black children in America. Key campaign facts and information on gun safety are available here.
According to the Gun Violence Archive (GNV), more than 1,500 unintentional shootings took place in the United States in 2023. Many of the shootings involved Black teens between the ages of 14 to 17 and children under the age of five.
“This campaign is a shining example of the role community leaders play in the programming on the Black Information Network,” said Tony Coles, President of BIN: Black Information Network and Multicultural Business and Development for iHeartMedia. “This topic has been a part of so many stories we have aired, and keeping children and families safe is vital to the communities we serve. Bringing this campaign to life started with the BIN Local Roundtable and would not be possible without them.”
The BIN Local Roundtable was designed as a forum for business and civic leaders from local communities across the U.S. to provide perspective and collaborate with BIN’s leadership team regarding the network’s programming and local engagement.
“Everyone has a responsibility to secure their guns and prevent unintentional shootings in our community,” said Brenda Goss Andrews, former Detroit Deputy Chief of Police, Immediate Past President of the National Association of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), BIN Local Roundtable member and official law enforcement advisor for the campaign. “We are losing too many children and adolescents to unsafe gun storage both inside and outside of the home.”
