LINN COUNTY, Iowa — Linn County Public Health is expanding its harm reduction initiative by adding free gun locks to public vending machines across the county in partnership with the Cedar Rapids Police Department and Project ChildSafe.
The gun locks are available at six machines located at the Linn County Mental Health Access Center, CRUSH Recovery Community Center, Hiawatha Public Library, Marion Public Library, Gary’s Foods in Mount Vernon and Linn County Community Services.
The effort is a strategic expansion of the county’s harm reduction program, which launched seven vending machines in June 2024 to distribute free supplies such as Naloxone, sharps containers and wound care kits to combat drug overdoses and sexually transmitted infections…