CHI Memorial Joins Chattanooga Police to Promote Proper Firearm Storage in Vehicles

In an effort to address gun violence in the Chattanooga area, CHI Memorial is partnering with Chattanooga Police Department (CPD) to promote proper firearm storage in vehicles.  According to CPD data, nearly 400 guns were stolen from vehicles in the Chattanooga area last year. Almost half of those vehicles were not locked.  

Together with CPD, CHI Memorial created an educational video that promotes proper and secure storage of firearms in a vehicle, as well as the importance of also locking the vehicle. 

"We are proud to partner with CHI Memorial to promote responsible gun ownership and help keep our community safe.  Together, we aim to educate our community in the best practices for firearm safety, particularly focusing on proper gun storage within vehicles,” said Jerri Sutton, Chattanooga Police Department chief of staff.  “Proper storage is critical to community safety because it deters car break-ins.  By working together, we can keep guns off the streets and out of the wrong hands.”

The U.S. Surgeon General recently declared gun violence a public health crisis, and violence, including gun violence, was identified as a significant health need in CHI Memorial’s 2022 Community Health Needs Assessment.

“Our mission is to improve the health of the people we serve, and we believe that extends outside the hospital walls. By educating our friends and neighbors how to properly store a firearm in their car, we hope to drive a positive change in the number of guns that are stolen and therefore, reduce gun violence in our community,” shared Betsy Kammerdiener, CHI Memorial market director of mission integration.

The educational video is posted on CHI Memorial’s YouTube channel (youtube.com/watch?v=kyOAJa2oCgc), and will be shared with local churches, civic groups, and schools.  The video is part of a broader project to address gun violence in our community and was partially funded through a United Against Violence program grant through CommonSpirit Health, CHI Memorial’s parent company. 

Firearms are not permitted on any CHI Memorial campus or physician clinic.