October 31, 2006

Gun Security 19

Filed under: Parenting Resources and Info — Beth @ 11:34 am

The local and national news programs seem to feature stories about shooting accidents on a weekly basis. So often the lack of gun security is the reason these tragedies occur. Gun security is not rocket science, it is common sense, yet many homes that have firearms do not follow basic steps to insure for safety. This lack of responsibility leads many people to call for national firearm controls. We have firearm control policies; we just need people to practice gun security.

Gun security can be as complicated or as simple as you want to make it. The gun security system that works best for you will depend on what type of firearms you own and the purpose of owning it.

For people that own firearms for hunting, gun security usually involves a gun safe. This is often due to the high cost of these firearms. The gun safes protect the firearms from moisture and theft as well as keeping them out of the reach of curious children. A safe adds greatly to gun security because they are extremely heavy so they are difficult to walk off with, and the locking system prevents casual theft. Most gun safes have a separate area to lock and store ammunition, separate from the firearms. This is one of the key elements in gun security, having ammunition and firearms located in different areas.

Many gun collectors like to display their collections in glass cases. These cases often come with locks; however they are not the best method when it comes to gun security because the cases can be easily broken into. Also these cases are usually light weight enough that thieves could carry them away.

When considering gun security for your home there are a number of factors to consider. You want to make sure that your firearm is not used against you in the case of a robbery. The easiest way to avoid this is to make sure that none of your firearms are left loaded, and that both the firearm and ammunition are locked in separate areas of your home. You also want to make sure that children that are living in your home or visiting your home do not have access to firearms. Children are naturally curious, especially about weapons. Often times the shooting accidents involve children that are playing with a loaded firearm. Children are going to push and pull and press on all areas of a gun, so they can easily take it off safety, without knowing what they are doing. Also when playing with a gun children naturally point and pull a trigger, which leads to disaster if the firearm is loaded. It is important to talk to your children about gun security and to also have them attend gun safety educational courses.

The right to bear arms is one of the basic rights of Americans. As with all of our rights this comes with the need for responsibility. Gun security is using common sense to insure the safety of everyone living in and visiting the home that has firearms. Very simple steps can insure gun safety in your home.

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Originally Posted on 10/31/2006 10:34:49 AM

Gun Safety 14

Filed under: Parenting Resources and Info — Beth @ 9:23 am

Considering the dangers involved with handling firearms along with the fact that more and more guns are making their way into the wrong hands, gun safety is especially important to teach to children. If a gun is in a home for personal protection it should be stored properly and out of the reach of children. Deaths from firearms are the leading cause of death in children as most of the incidents that cause injury are not intentional. Therefore teaching children about gun safety is extremely important.

There are a large number of children that are injured by guns every year. Even though most injuries by firearms occur in children of the adolescent age many young children and infants are affected as well. If a young child sees a gun, and are not aware that it’s something they shouldn’t touch, they may play with it. This happens far too often in the home and needs to be addressed by teaching gun safety to children early on.

In the United States it is estimated that there are firearms in almost half of the homes. Even if this estimate is inflated it still means there are many homes which have guns which makes gun safety extremely important. Predominately the firearms are for reasons of safety and protection but it is more likely that you will injure or kill a family member or friend than an intruder in the home.

Considering that there have been so many injuries and death from guns in the home there are now gun safety programs set up to teach parents as well as children the importance of gun safety. One of the gun safety programs is called the Eddie Eagle program from the National Rifle Association (NRA). This safety program tells children step by step how to deal with a gun if they come across one, the steps are, Stop! Don’t Touch, Leave the Area, and Tell an Adult. This simplistic method is one that should be taught to all children as all three steps are important aspects in gun safety. There is a program called “Keep Your Family Safe from Firearm Injury” that is sponsored by the American Academy of Pediatrics. This gun safety program is for the parents as it urges them that the best gun safety measure is to not have a firearm in the house.

Safe storage of a gun should be a priority if choosing to have a gun in the home. A safe or even a locked drawer should be used as anything without a lock on it is unsafe. Children are inquisitive and will look in places all over the house. If a lock is in place it takes away the chance that the child will be able to find the firearm.

Keeping your children safe and sound is not only your responsibility it needs to be your priority. Becoming more informed about how to keep your gun stored far away from small hands is essential.

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Originally Posted on 10/31/2006 8:23:38 AM

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