Friday, December 19, 2008

Gun Safety Tips for Protecting Children

1.) Store all firearms unloaded and locked with a firearm safe, lock box, or trigger lock.

2.) Store and lock all ammunition in a separate place from firearms.

3.) Remove firearms from your home if you have a family member suffering depression or suicidal tendencies.

4.) If your child is visiting someone's house, ask if firearms in the home are stored unloaded and locked. Check to make sure the ammunition is stored separately.

5.) Ask about shotguns and rifles, as well, not just handguns.

6.) Invite the children to play at your home if there are doubts about the safety of someone else's home.

7.) Make sure to talk with your children about the risk of firearm injury in places they may visit.

8.) Teach your child if they find a firearm to leave it alone and to inform an adult right away.

9.) Instruct your child to leave the room and tell an adult immediately if another child shows him or her a weapon of ANY kind.

10.) Ask other family members and your friends to use these safe storage steps for their firearms.

4 comments:

Robot Nine said...

Great advice, clear, direst, short, to the point.
Robot Nine

riverwalker said...

To: Robot Nine

The "curiousity factor" for young children is always high. It is a responsibility of everyone to help protect them by doing things safely. Thanks.

RW

Anonymous said...

I completely disagree (mostly! Some of the suggestions are fine)! The best way to ensure gun safety with children is to gun proof the child! Bring them hunting, show them the guns and drill safety into them, Every time you are cleaning guns or doing maintenance on them get the kids to help, And scorn them if they do not show proper safety straight away, Reward them when they do!
If they regard a gun like they regard other potentially dangerous objects and instead practice proper safety with said object then in the long run not only will they be able to better handle possibly dangerous situations but they will also become future responsible gun owners.

I really enjoy reading however, For the most part I agree with what you say on this blog.

riverwalker said...

To: anonymous

Your points are well taken and what you say can be a good practice. But, as with all things, there is an appropriate age factor that should be considered also.

The child must be mature enough to understand the responsibility that goes with handling a gun safely.

What may be good safety training for a 10 year old may not be justifiable for say a 4 year old.

Proper training with any weapon, knife, tool or gun will depend a lot on the age and the maturity involved. My work with juveniles on a professional basis justifies this position. I can relate to the fact that I deal with a large number of juveniles on a regular basis who I wouldn't trust to operate a power tool, a car, or a weapon due to their immaturity and lack of personal responsibility.

This is due in large part to the amount of time that many parents will not devote to the proper training of their children.

You seem like a very dedicated person willing to go that extra step in helping your children to learn the responsibility necessary to do all things safely and are to be commended for that.

Thanks for your comments. I always welcome a different viewpoint, for this is how we all learn.

Riverwalker

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