Do you remember being a child? I do, parts of it anyway. Every Christmas I would find all the presents, open them, look at them, re-wrap and then put them back. Kids are crafty that way. Do you a firearms in your home? Do you think the kids can’t find them? Think again!
The best advice it two fold. One, lock up your guns! If you keep one for home defense in the Master Bedroom, consider a small gun safe. There are many models available now that have locks you can work in the dark, without having to see what you are doing.
Two, teach the kids gun safety from an early age. Start them with what they can handle, you can even practice on a water pistol. Teach them not to touch a firearm without an adult present. Teach them to keep their finger off the trigger, point it in a safe direction, assume it is loaded. All the basic safety rules. When they are old enough, you can take them to the range and let them try shooting, again, with close supervision and lots of emphasis on safety. How old is enough? I recommend six, but if may vary with the child.
Telling your kids there are guns, letting them see them, teaching them the safety rules, takes the mystique out of the gun. Why did we go hunting for the Christmas gifts? Curiosity! If they have been shown to me I wouldn’t have been curious, and I wouldn’t have been tempted to look for them. Taking away the mystery of something forbidden, and teaching safety rules can go a long way to preventing tragedies.
Safe Shooting.
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