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The Importance of Firearm Safety in the Home

04/09/2020

Why it’s important

As gun owners it’s imperative to practice gun safety in our homes. Leaving a loaded gun exposed and unsupervised in our homes is an open door to unimaginable possibilities. Studies map that about 4.6 million children in America are currently living in homes that do not properly store firearms. Here at H&H Shooting Sports we care about your families which is why we encourage all gun owners not to be foolish, lock up your guns like you lock up your tools.

Secure Firearm Storage

Experts have agreed that there is a three-step method behind preventing access to the firearm in your home. These steps are to unload, lock and separate. Essentially what the gun owner is responsible for is unloading the ammunition, locking the firearm and storing the firearm and ammunition in two completely different locations. For more depth let’s analyze the specifics in practicing the technique. Unload: Firearm owners should remove all ammunition (this includes any chamber rounds.) Lock: Unloaded firearms should also be secured with a locking device—such as a safe or lock box. Separate: Lastly, keep in mind that it’s just as important to keep your ammunition and firearm stored in separate locations.

Identifying and Avoiding High Risk

Here’s some food for thought. Child firearm suicide. High-risk homes. Accessible firearms. Lack of supervision. Might we mention, these are merely scratching the surface of the matter. Are you curious enough to want to hear more? Please be. Nearly forty percent of child firearm deaths are suicides. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) linked a connection between the rise of accidental injury and death from firearms with homes that are exposed to alcohol and drug addicted friends or family members. Too often we underestimate children and their ability to get a hold of a firearm in our own home, the home of a family member or even a friend. And as a result, hundreds of American children have gained access to guns and have unintentionally shot someone else or even themselves. Following easy accessibility lies lack of supervision. More than half of children who gain access to firearms in the home are alone. This trend is typically noticed during the summer while parents are working and kids are off from school, or late evening and weekends. Avoiding each of the risks listed above would with doubtfully lower the percentage of accidental shootings in homes around America.

The Gun Ed Talk

Educating your children on the concept of firearm safety can potentially save their lives. When doing so, breakdown how they should respond if they ever do see a gun with or without parental supervision. For instance, make sure you inform little Nicky not to touch a gun if it’s unattended and to tell an adult as soon as possible. Remember that talking to your children about guns is a precaution, not a guarantee of safety. Which is why parents are responsible to do their part in properly putting away firearms when they’re not in use. At the end of the day it shouldn’t be a kid’s responsibility to walk away from guns, it is a parents/gun owners duty to prevent danger from happening to the best of their ability.

Helpful tips

Below are tips to contribute to your success in enforcing firearm safety with your family.

● Act as if every gun were loaded

● Always point firearms in a safe direction

● Don’t wait to put guns away

● Unload when firearm is not in use

● Always keep your finger off the trigger until you’re ready to shoot

● Use extra safety precautions at all times when it comes to guns

● Clean your gun every time after it has been used

● Know how to use your gun on a home intruder

● Never leave a gun out when cleaning it

● Be sure you know how your gun operates

● Get involved with local gun ranges to explore extra resources on gun safety

It’s likely that you’ve heard all of this before, and it may even sound repetitive. But the reason you’ve heard it so many times is because it’s worth repeating. Imagine you and your loved ones being affected by the unspeakable all because gun safety wasn’t practiced. The truth is, it can happen to anyone. Quite frankly, if you’re not practicing gun safety with your family you’re already at risk.

Visit the H&H Shooting Sports gun range so they can invest their educational resources in you and your family today. For further details access their website by clicking HERE.