Houston Man on Mission to Supply Free Guns to Citizens And actually implementing now for about a month now -- Copland stood on a mission we're looking at deterring crime by empowering citizens on this and he says to help you -- as protect themselves and their homes by offering up free twenty gauge shotguns like this. An assault -- Coppola's new nonprofit called the armed citizens project. They're easy to use easy to learn how to use. There and their. Not very expensive. And they're just all around great home defense weapons Copeland was a University of Houston grad student says the free shotgun idea. Grew from a paper he wrote -- masters of public administration program I have a passion for policy analysis we want to to try to. Look at the link between crime and an increase in firearms in the community Copeland says the -- shotguns will be purchased primarily with donations to his nonprofit. And given to law abiding single women and others who feel vulnerable living in crime ridden residential areas for example to start with were probably gonna pick four square block area mid to high crime. And we are going to offer all residents that live within that area if they can pass a background check. It'll take our safety legal and tactical training course. We'll give them for free one break over single shot shotgun -- -- -- citizen project will use Houston police statistics to analyze and pinpoint neighborhoods eligible for the shotgun give away. A spokesman from Houston police tells Eyewitness News the -- has no comment about this controversial program.