Gun Safety and Safety Accessories

If you have a gun, you should keep it safe to avoid tragedy happening with family members and children.   In the United States alone, over 500 kids die yearly from accidental gunshots. When finding a gun, some children shoot themselves while others kill friends. Either way, it's a tragedy that can be prevented.

Unfortunately, not all people are aware of this and don't think that guns are dangerous. At present, Americans own 200 million firearms and 35 percent of homes contain at least one gun. But a recent study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that more than 1.7 million children reside in homes that have loaded and unlocked guns.

If you believe your kid won't find your gun, you're greatly mistaken. A study published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine found that 39 percent of kids knew where their parent's guns were stored and 22 percent said they had handled the weapons without their parents' knowledge. The study found that kids as young as five have played with guns.

To prevent accidents, store your guns in a safe place. One gun safety accessory you should have is a gun safe. This is a good place to safely store your firearms and protect family and friends from accidentally mishandling your weapons. Gun safes can also protect your weapons and valuables from theft, weather disasters and fire damage. 

To organize your gun collection in your safe, get a pistol rack. This can be placed on the shelves of the gun safe to keep your pistols in a neat and tidy row. Some pistol organizers have holsters that can be attached to the inside of the gun safe door. This will make it easy for you to browse your collection.

Gun Safety Through Education

Knowledge is power. Nowhere is that more true than in the world of gun safety. Guns, by design, serve the purpose of hitting a target. Accidental firing of a firearm is usually the result of improper training and safety. Gun organizations such as the NRA go to great lengths with gun safety programs targeted at children and adults alike to educate the public about the proper handling of a gun. The programs do not teach whether guns are good or bad, but instead focus on strategies for gun safety.

The National Rifle Association sponsored Eddie Eagle program, started in 1988, seeks to educate children about the proper steps to take when they see a gun. Using four basic principles to ingrain the idea in a child's mind to 'avoid playing with guns' is the basis for the educational campaign. "Stop, don't touch, leave the area, tell an adult" is the strong message that is prevalent throughout the various Eddie Eagle videos produced by the NRA. Using celebrity figures such as Jason Priestley to explain in an authoritative, comforting voice to children, 'How to handle finding a gun', is an effective method of driving home a message by using repetition.

There is an arsenal of information available for adults on how to properly handle a firearm. The presence of a program dedicated to teaching proper protocol to children with the primary message of 'stay away' is a crucial component to gun safety in our culture. The Eddie Eagle program targets children pre-K through 3rd grade and has reached more than 21 million children in all 50 states.