Jeff Colbourne
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jun 15/98) - Guns are not hard to find in most NWT households. Much of the population uses them to hunt to supplement their income or provide food for their family.

When these guns fall into the wrong hands, however, fatal mishaps often happen, as four little girls found out two weeks ago in Kugluktuk.

A 10-year-old Kugluktuk girl was shot in the chest and killed after she and her friends found some rifles in a shack.

Kristy "Maffa" Ayalik's remains were discovered close to the community shoreline by some boaters around 11 p.m. May 31. The RCMP concluded that Ayalik had been out with three friends Sunday morning playing, when they happened upon the guns in a storage shack.

The four girls were believed to have been playing with the rifles when one of them fired the .22-calibre, striking Ayalik in the chest. The three girls left the scene and never contacted the police.

RCMP have questioned the 42-year-old Kugluktuk man who owns the rifle. Not all the weapons in the shack belong to him and police are tracking down the other owner.

In the past, efforts have been made by RCMP and hamlets to keep guns away from the wrong hands.

In Gjoa Haven 225 new lock boxes for guns were recently installed in homes throughout the community.

The $26,000 project started with support from the community, RCMP and three local carpenters.

The boxes will keep dangerous firearms out of the hands of children and in compliance with new federal gun laws.

RCMP and the hamlet of Arviat are also concerned about gun safety. Last year, $40,000 in Brighter Futures money was used to build 175 gun lockers, which were installed in homes in the community.

Fourteen residents were hired to work for four weeks to build the boxes. Each came equipped with a padlock to ensure safe storage.

Kugluktuk RCMP are also supportive of gun lockers and are open to gun safety courses in schools when students go back in September.

"We're going to be getting together with the wildlife officer to talk about programs," said Const. Stephen Wright last Thursday.

"We did mention something (on gun safety) on our local weekly police radio show. We told people on the air what the safe practice is of storing a fire arm."

Gun lockers are one way to safely store guns he said. But it's up to the individuals to take it upon themselves to buy the box.