How to Practice Gun Safety in the Home

-
-

Whether you own guns for hunting, sport shooting, or protection, these simple steps can help you store them safely.

Warning
Firearms are extremely dangerous. Handle them with caution, keep them away from children, and know the gun laws in your area.

Step 1: Obey the rules
Follow the basic rules of gun safety: Treat every gun as if it's loaded, always point the muzzle in a safe direction, keep your finger straight and off the trigger until a target is in your sights, and be sure of your target and what's behind it.

Tip
Each gun is unique -- make sure you know how the specifics of operating any firearm you own.

Step 2: Educate yourself
Attend a gun safety course to educate yourself on how to handle firearms. Go online or head to your local shooting range to find gun safety classes in your area.

Step 3: Educate children
Educate children on the dangers of firearms and what they should do if they ever encounter one. If a child sees a gun they should: Stop, not touch it, leave the area, and tell an adult.

Step 4: Check the weapon
Unload all firearms before bringing them into the home and make sure they're unloaded every time you handle them.

Step 5: Lock them up
Use trigger or cable locks, and always store guns in locked cabinets, drawers, or in a gun safe.

Tip
Check with your local police department to find out if your community has a free trigger lock program.

Step 6: Store ammunition separately
Lock up ammunition separately from the guns. This makes it far more difficult for children to use the weapon if they ever find it, and helps keep your household safe.

Did You Know?
The percentage of American homes that own guns dropped from 54 percent in 1977 to 34.5 percent in 2006.

[bobredding]

LIKE! Clearly one of Howcasts most responsible vids.

[JacksonParodi]

This video has good tips for general gun safety, but does not address someone who wants a gun for home protection. Your gun is no good to you if it's in a locked cabinet, with a trigger/cable lock and unloaded with ammunition somewhere else in the house in its own locked cabinet.

[JacksonParodi]

@CplJoebot
For home protection, I think most folks would want a weapon that is loaded and ready to use with minimal things to think or worry about. It's possible to do that safely.

[pillowbugg]

step 1: train your children how to properly and safely use guns and you will never ever have to worry about your children and guns...

[angelsilve]

hey thats going to happen not better not to have a gun in the 1st place

[kickfox]

some one breaks in you have to fumble with the keys open the locked box take out the gun fumble with keys open annumation box find the right anumiton load your gun and take off the triger lock aim takes way to long you cold have the olice there bytime the gun is ready to fire

[OrionStax]

WTF if you do all this if someone breaks in you won't be able to get to your gun fast enough to shoot them

[AlbeeGz]

a 15 yr old kid i kno saved his life and his 12 yr old sister's life last week when a couple of burglars broke into their house when they were alone. he got an asault rifle and shot one of the dudes and they both went running out of there

[DrPhr]

It's better to teach kids how to safely handle guns if they ever encounter one and then scare them from ever touching it. It's not that hard, I was afraid of handling kitchen knives until I was 9. But everyone should at least know how to check if a gun is loaded and then how to unload it.

[jtnoodle]

@lumpyfishful Step 1: Disregard this video.

[zx]

how to practice gun safety in the home: step 1: take any guns that are in your home and get them the fuck out of there-you have now acheived your goal

[Jebu]

guns should be always in your drawer and loaded

[coreydolan]

Guns Should be stored with childrens toys to gain trust in the children.

[BenjaminStreifel]

@zx1011 Yes! Then they will be prepared when/if they encounter them in the real world (you know, that bright and shiny place just past your front door).
The same goes for safely operating vehicles: never allow your son/daughter to touch one, and most certainly do not leave them around the home. Then they will be perfectly safe and ready for anything that comes at them. Let's shelter America's youth rather than teaching responsibility!