How Responsible Handgun Owners Practice Gun Safety on the Homefront

Guns can provide personal protection for homeowners, especially if an intruder intent on doing physical harm to the home’s occupants successfully breaks in. However, guns can cause physical harm and even death to innocent family members when they are left out in the open and not properly concealed.

Many responsible homeowners who own handguns are choosing to utilize gun concealment in home décor so that their handguns are not only out of sight, but the method of concealment fits in perfectly with your home’s particular style and interior decoration. With that in mind, what other protective methods can firearm owners take in practicing gun safety on the Homefront?

According to a recent report, as a responsible gun owner, chances are you have received comprehensive firearms training, which also includes how to safely store and handle a handgun and a long gun. The issue of gun safety should be openly discussed in a home that houses both children and firearms.

The experts say that having candid discussions about firearm safety inside the home will serve to place everyone on “the same page.” More importantly, it will bring about peace of mind while preventing a terrible tragedy.

Some Basic Facts Surrounding Gun Safety

Say the experts, everyone in the home plays a significant role in ensuring a secure and safe environment. As the primary gun owner, it’s your responsibility to do your best to make certain the firearms are stored securely and safely at home.

Keep in mind that no matter how safety conscious you happen to be, accident can and will happen. When an accident occurs with a loaded firearm, “the consequences can be dire” to say the least, as the following facts demonstrate:

–Easy access to firearms is said to greatly increase the risk of death from suicide and/or domestic violence.

–According to statistics, handguns are the second-leading cause of death among children in the U.S. Fact is, even a child as young as 3 years old is capable of pulling the trigger on a gun that’s not concealed or locked.

–In the U.S. alone, suicides from loaded firearms have spiked by more than 200 percent by children 10 to 14 years old over the past ten years in the U.S.

The Safe Storage of Guns

A loaded gun that gets into the wrong hands can lead to suicide, homicide, and unintentional shootings. Kids are especially at risk where there is a loaded handgun lying around the house. However, an adult who is going through a particularly painful period in his or her life and who knows how to handle a firearm, can be a danger to others and to themselves. Murder/suicide is not out of the question in these cases.

Therefore, the following precautions should be taken when there is a gun in the home:

–A gun, especially a loaded one, should never be left unattended.

–A gun should always be unloaded when not in use. All ammunition should be removed from the firearm. This includes any rounds loaded inside the chamber.

–The firearm should be locked. Securing guns with cable locks and storing them in lockable, concealable safes is of paramount importance.

–Ammunition should be stored separately from firearms in a lockbox or safe. The keys to these lockboxes and safes should be stores in a different location also.

–Openly communicate with your children about what to do if they see a gun lying about. They must know that they are forbidden to touch it. At the same time, they are to alert their parent and/or guardian about the unlocked, unconcealed firearm.

Safe Handling of Guns

The proper handling of a firearm not only keeps the licensed gun owner safe, but also his or her loved ones. If your spouse owns a gun, don’t be afraid to ask them about their gun safety practices and precautions. Certain states like New York for instance, require future gun owners to undergo a firearm safety instruction course prior to their being issued a license to purchase a firearm.

Anyone who owns and is licensed to possess a firearm should adhere to these important precautions:

–Always keep your guns locked and unloaded until you are in a safe place to use it and/or clean it.

–Experts urge all gun owners to read their firearm’s manuals prior to firing it, or even before purchasing it. You should know how to “open and close the action” and how to safely eject the ammunition from a revolver or from the magazine on your semi-automatic.

–Keep your finger off the trigger until you are absolutely ready to shoot.

–The muzzle should always be pointed not at a person but in a safe direction. Make certain that if a gun accidentally discharges inside your home, no one is going to be hurt.

–If you know someone who possesses firearms in their home, you might think about sharing this article with them.

 

 

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