A gear shift lever lock system and an apparatus and method for operating the gear shift lever lock are provided. The gear shift lever lock includes a lock solenoid having a lock pin movable between a first position inhibiting movement of a gear shift lever from a park position and a second position permitting movement of the gear shift lever from the park position. The apparatus is configured to receive a first signal from a brake sensor indicating that a brake pedal is depressed and a second signal from a park position sensor indicating that a gear shift lever is being moved from a resting position to a shifting position. The apparatus is configured to operate the lock solenoid to move the lock pin from the first position to the second position in response to receiving the second signal while it is indicated that the brake pedal is depressed.