MILWAUKEE — At the second "Behind the Gun" Milwaukee Gun Owner Safety Summit, leaders taught responsible gun ownership and safety, all in an effort to prevent gun violence.
Kevin Simmons, a gun violence survivor, shared his story during a panel conversation. He was shot while driving for Uber in 2023.
"He was my passenger, 14 year old and he decided to car jack me after I got to his destination," Simmons said. "He put the gun to my head and he pulled the trigger and since that didn't kill me, he decided to shoot me 5 more times."
Simmons said the experience is why he attended the summit.
"We know people have guns, that's their Second Amendment right. But you also have to be responsible with them," Simmons said.
WATCH: 'Behind the Gun' safety summit teaches, provides resources for safe firearm ownership
The summit included gun safety education tailored for all ages, access to free gun lock boxes and registration to get a free personalized family safety plan.
The Milwaukee Police Department's crime dashboard shows 25% fewer homicides and 26% fewer non-fatal shootings year-to-date compared to this time last year.
Teaching responsible gun ownership is part of Eddie Silas's work. He is the co-owner of Prolific Arms, a local gun shop.
"If guns are there and they are present without education, that's where the harm comes in," Silas said.
One way to be a responsible gun owner is to properly secure and store firearms.
"It just takes a lock to keep the firearm out of the hands of people who are not supposed to have access, that includes children or maybe someone looking to do the public harm," Silas said.
Many attendees took action on proper gun storage safety, picking up free lock boxes offered by Prolific Arms and getting them installed in their cars right on-site.
Tina Bonner was one of those attendees.
"I don't carry my gun that much, but I know when I carry it, I am leery of leaving it in the car," Bonner said.
She left the summit feeling more confident about her safety.
"I will feel safer leaving it in the car knowing that they would have to have some special tool," Bonner said.
Simmons hopes people walk away thinking about what they can do to prevent gun violence.
"I hope that... it would spark a fire under them. Make sure that someone will scratch their heads and think, 'hmm, what can I do to make things better?'" Simmons said. "Even if you be an activist, or advocate for someone, or just be a responsible gun owner, do whatever it takes, we want to make a difference one at a time."
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