Gun Owner Responsibility

The second amendment gives us the right to bear arms, however, it is our responsibility to bear them responsibly. Gun safety is a very important topic that I believe is still not discussed enough.

It is important to practice and preach gun safety to limit the number of gun-related accidents and incidents that happen in our country.

Almost one-third of American households have some sort of firearm, and according to the recent stats, gun-related incidents at home are on the rise. In the last decade, more than 14000 American children have died in gun-related incidents, one-third of those incidents were suicides and about 6% were accidents. I believe that a lack of awareness about gun safety is the biggest contributing factor to this.

So, let’s talk a little about gun safety.

First of all, I believe that gun safety can be divided into two parts, which are safe handling of a firearm, and safe storage of a firearm. Both are equally important and a little carelessness in either could have awful repercussions.

Safe handling:

You have probably heard the phrase, “A firearm is a tool, not a toy”, well, it is perfectly true. A firearm needs to be treated with respect. Primarily, they should be used for self-defense, and protection of your freedom, however, even if you enjoy firing guns at the range, it can be done in a safe and responsible manner.

Here are some pointers to focus on for safe gun handling.

● Always treat the weapon as if it is loaded until you have cleared it, which means removing the ammunition from it, and clearing the chamber.

● Loaded or unloaded, never point the gun at anything you don’t want to destroy.

● Keep your hand off the trigger finger until you are ready to fire.

● Don't load your gun until you are ready to use it, however, if you are carrying it for self-defense, you should make sure that the manual safety of the gun is engaged. It is also wise to carry the gun loaded, but not cocked.

● When you are ready to fire, pay attention to what your target is, and what is beyond it.

● Learn about the firing mechanism of your gun

● In case of failures, keep your gun pointed in a safe direction while unloading it.

● Make sure to check for barrel obstructions, before you load the gun

Safe Storage:

Safe storage is equally important if not more because a gun that isn’t stored properly can do a lot more damage to the people in your home. Children could accidentally injure themselves, or even worse. Moreover, in some cases, they might intentionally use guns to harm themselves.

In fact, only a couple of months ago, in Atlanta, Georgia, three shooting incidents took place in a single week and claimed the lives of three children and injured another. A four-year-old kid shot himself and another two-year-old, a three-year-old injured himself with a loaded gun he found at home, and the same day, a four-year-old shot and killed himself.

All three incidents happened because these children were able to get their hands on guns that weren’t stored safely. Guns that aren’t stored in a secured way can also be stolen and used for illegal activities.

So, here are some pointers for safe gun storage:

● Make sure to store your firearm and ammo separately.

● Keep your firearm and ammunition locked in a gun safe or a locked cupboard.

● Consider using concealed gun storage safes for your home defense guns.

● Make sure your kids can’t access your guns and ammunition.

Lastly, another important thing to keep in mind is that you should teach your kids how to safely use guns. Generally, we like to keep kids away from firearms, but if you have one in your home, it is a good idea to take your kids out to the range and teach them how to be responsible gun owners. This could significantly decrease the chances of accidents.