Lock up your guns!
It’s important that if you are a gun owner you store your gun safely and away from your child and their friends.
One public health study found that one third of 8 to 12-year old boys who came across an unlocked handgun picked it up and pulled the trigger. You don’t want that to be your child or your child’s friend.
Safe gun storage is NOT:
- Hiding your gun in a closet or nightstand
- Hiding your gun under your pillow
- Displaying your gun in a glass gun cabinet
Safe gun storage IS:
- Placing your unloaded gun in a safe or lock box
- Locking up your ammunition and storing it separately from your gun
- Keeping the keys to your lock box on you at all times
- Using a trigger lock
It takes just one small lapse in attention to unintentionally endanger your child and community.
People often think that if someone breaks into their home, they will be unable to protect themselves without a loaded gun close by. But the facts are that a loaded gun in your home is more of a danger to you and your family than an intruder is. If you have a gun in your house you are 22 times more likely to have it used in a homicide, suicide, or accidental shooting than to have it used for self-protection.
