251222 Safely storing your gun in your home
FYI just in case, you got a new gun for Christmas or over the holidays here are a few tips for safely storing them or if you managed to get more than one.
Let me begin by putting this entire article into perspective. Whether or not you’re in favor of our Second Amendment rights to keep and bear arms or not in favor of this particular amendment it matters not for these instruments of protection, they still must be secured when not in use. And if you carry your firearm, it must be secured from falling out or having another person grab them and take it away from you.
Plus, and this is a big plus, potential for suicide[1][2]
A few options for your consideration.
If you have any type of gun pistol, revolver, rifle, or shotgun, then it is incumbent upon you to make sure none of these falls into the wrong hands when it is not on your person. Especially our children.
If you still insist on keeping your gun unsecured then, at the very minimum, educate your children about the deadly dangers of handling a gun. They are not toys and should one encounter a gun it is not to be touched, instead tell an adult. Hopefully, that adult will be smart enough to lock it up in the future.
The only way that I know of is to have them stored properly and that means in a safe or a location that only you or your spouse have access to such as a safe, pistol/revolver lock box, a quick access apparatus quick lock devices, drawers that lock, cable lock, gun cases, pistol lock boxes, locking drawers, or a trigger lock.
Various credit unions may allow them to be stored in the lock boxes on site. Yours may or may not. I would certainly check beforehand before carting them into such a place. My suspicion is it would be frowned upon very vigorously.
Once again if you have a gun and you decide, as you MUST, to store it you need to figure out what your particular situation is when storing it. Probably the simplest is a lock[3] that is physically attached to the trigger guard while being stored outside of a safe.
For example, the following are available on Amazon[4] for very reasonable prices. I believe these may be overcome with a certain amount of diligence, but they still have their place in protecting a child. For example, Master Lock has a variety of trigger gun locks.
Combination lock, this is considered the best.
Beware of the combination lock styles. Several owners of these have told me that while setting the lock combination up they neglected to write it down and the lock could not be opened. If you have a three-number lock, there are 720 different combinations! However, should this happen to you, try this website[5] for a potential answer to your dilemma, if you are a math wizard that is!
Regardless of your choice of a safe storage device, it must be a safe, universally recognized type of protective gear. And it must be used.
Bear in mind none of these are foolproof. Each one can fail. They should not be substituted for safe gun handling and adherence to all gun safety rules. These inviolable rules from the NRA must be followed EVERY SINGLE TIME YOU HANDLE A GUN.
The fundamental NRA rules for safe gun handling are[1]:
- ALWAYS Keep The Gun Pointed In A Safe Direction. This is the primary rule of gun safety. …
- ALWAYS Keep Your Finger Off The Trigger Until Ready To Shoot. …
- ALWAYS Keep The Gun Unloaded Until Ready To Use.
Transportation of a gun or guns, again from the NRA[2].
[1] https://www.google.com/search?q=nra+safe+gun+handling+rules&rlz=1C1GCEA_enUS947US947&oq=NRA+safew+gun+handling&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0i13j0i390.12034j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
[2] https://www.google.com/search?q=nra+transportation+of+firearms&rlz=1C1GCEA_enUS947US947&sxsrf=ALiCzsZecfusTNxp8cKSb8vhajOw8MZqiQ%3A1662556722248&ei=MpoYY8XmDqax0PEPzquFuAk&ved=0ahUKEwjFx-S24oL6AhWmGDQIHc5VAZcQ4dUDCA4&oq=nra+tranportain+of+firearms&gs_lcp=Cgxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAQDEoECEEYAEoECEYYAFAAWABgAGgAcAF4AIABAIgBAJIBAJgBAA&sclient=gws-wiz-serp
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1763337/ Main results: Compared with decedents who stored their firearm unlocked or loaded, those who stored their firearms locked or unloaded, or both, were less likely to commit suicide by firearms (locked: OR = 0.39, 95% CI = 0.24 to 0.66; unloaded OR = 0.30, 95% CI = 0.18 to 0.49). Conclusions: This study further supports the utility of devices and practices intended to reduce the likelihood of unauthorised or impulsive use of firearms.
[2] https://www.google.com/search?q=safe%20gun%20storage%20site%3Anih.gov&rlz=1C1GCEA_enUS947US947&oq=nih&aqs=chrome.2.69i59j46i39i199i465j69i59j0i67i131i433j69i60l4.5686j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&ved=2ahUKEwjSl_ue3YL6AhWNIDQIHdNzDaIQ2wF6BAgKEAE&ei=wpQYY9KuBo3B0PEP0-e1kAo
[3] https://www.amazon.com/s?k=trigger+guard&crid=1MX35SFX9OYB4&sprefix=trigger+gua%2Caps%2C215&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_1_11
[4] https://www.amazon.com/s?k=master+locks+trigger+guard&crid=2CITE35J3B6WY&sprefix=master+locks+trigger+guard%2Caps%2C173&ref=nb_sb_noss
[5] http://mathcentral.uregina.ca/QQ/database/QQ.09.06/candace1.html
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