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Gun safety is everyone’s responsibility
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We are hearing more and more each day about accidents and, sadly to say, crimes involving firearms. Each time a tragedy involving a gun is publicized, we hear a barrage from one side of the political fence demanding more gun control, and an equally thunderous volley from the other side with something along the lines of ‘Guns don’t kill people, people kill people.’ We spend a lot of time arguing about how many bullets a gun should shoot, how long the barrel should be and how fast it should fire.
One of the things that seems to get overlooked is the fact that there are millions of firearms already in the possession of millions of Americans, and that most of those firearms are legal to today’s standards. What can we do to prevent the accidents and even some of the crimes we hear about?
It makes no difference on which side of the political fence you sit, you can do your part to further gun safety. If you don’t own guns and don’t want your children to have guns, at least teach them what to do if they were to come across a gun. Teach them to never pick up a gun. Tell them to get an adult immediately. Treat all guns as if they were loaded. A gun is never to be played with, no matter how enticing it may be or how many of their friends may be urging them to do so. For those of you who do have guns, the same rules apply. Also teach your children the proper use and safety when handling guns and that guns should not be handled unless adults are there to supervise.
When keeping guns at home, be sure they are unloaded and out of the reach of children. Keep them safe by locking them in a secure place such as a gun safe or other area to which children do not have access. Failing to keep your guns secured and out of the reach of children is now a crime in most states, and more and more parents are being prosecuted.
If you cannot secure your guns, install trigger locks to prevent the gun from being fired. The small cost of a trigger lock is cheap insurance when compared to the physical, emotional and monetary grief you could suffer if your gun were to fall into the wrong hands.
If you are not sure how to safely use and store your guns, get educated. Take a handgun safety class, read books on gun safety or give your local police department or sheriff’s department a phone call.
While there may be a lot of debate on what to do about guns, there is no debate on gun safety.
One of the things that seems to get overlooked is the fact that there are millions of firearms already in the possession of millions of Americans, and that most of those firearms are legal to today’s standards. What can we do to prevent the accidents and even some of the crimes we hear about?
It makes no difference on which side of the political fence you sit, you can do your part to further gun safety. If you don’t own guns and don’t want your children to have guns, at least teach them what to do if they were to come across a gun. Teach them to never pick up a gun. Tell them to get an adult immediately. Treat all guns as if they were loaded. A gun is never to be played with, no matter how enticing it may be or how many of their friends may be urging them to do so. For those of you who do have guns, the same rules apply. Also teach your children the proper use and safety when handling guns and that guns should not be handled unless adults are there to supervise.
When keeping guns at home, be sure they are unloaded and out of the reach of children. Keep them safe by locking them in a secure place such as a gun safe or other area to which children do not have access. Failing to keep your guns secured and out of the reach of children is now a crime in most states, and more and more parents are being prosecuted.
If you cannot secure your guns, install trigger locks to prevent the gun from being fired. The small cost of a trigger lock is cheap insurance when compared to the physical, emotional and monetary grief you could suffer if your gun were to fall into the wrong hands.
If you are not sure how to safely use and store your guns, get educated. Take a handgun safety class, read books on gun safety or give your local police department or sheriff’s department a phone call.
While there may be a lot of debate on what to do about guns, there is no debate on gun safety.
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Reader Comments
tired of rino's like sadler wrote on Dec 1, 2008 8:31 AM:
" Sgt. Berry you mention both sides of the political aisle throughout your article . . . is that appropriate? Do you take your marching orders from the CPOA? They seem to feel them can make all candidate choices for the officers and the choices are usually folks that do their bidding.
Remember Patrice McDonald and what CPOA tried to do to her and also the $1M is traffic tickets that was forecasted the Thanksgiving Holidays! That is a lot of money for Yukon Sadler and Webb Melder to spend. "
Remember Patrice McDonald and what CPOA tried to do to her and also the $1M is traffic tickets that was forecasted the Thanksgiving Holidays! That is a lot of money for Yukon Sadler and Webb Melder to spend. "
BigTexN wrote on Dec 1, 2008 9:45 AM:
" Keeping an unloaded gun in the house kinda defeats the purpose of having it for personal protection in case of a break in, doesn't it?
I've taken my daughter out shooting since she was 8yrs old. She knows exactly where the gun is AND she knows its loaded AND she knows to respect it and leave it alone.
For all you anti-handgunners out there...amazingly, she is still still alive after all these years. Amazingly, she hasn't touched that weapon since the day I educated her about it. Amazingly, as crazy as it may sound, she hasn't shot anyone else with it.
Even more amazing...the gun didn't jump out of the drawer on its own and run down the street creating carnage everywhere....don't ask me, I don't know how that's not possible... "
I've taken my daughter out shooting since she was 8yrs old. She knows exactly where the gun is AND she knows its loaded AND she knows to respect it and leave it alone.
For all you anti-handgunners out there...amazingly, she is still still alive after all these years. Amazingly, she hasn't touched that weapon since the day I educated her about it. Amazingly, as crazy as it may sound, she hasn't shot anyone else with it.
Even more amazing...the gun didn't jump out of the drawer on its own and run down the street creating carnage everywhere....don't ask me, I don't know how that's not possible... "
pprwrtr wrote on Dec 1, 2008 11:09 AM:
" What is a rino? I have wondered this ever since I first read it?
About the guns--some people are much more responsible than others in everything. You can teach children about guns, birth control, drunk driving, or any other danger, but some will still experiment when you aren't there, even though you may be one who says "my kid would never do that." We give kids liquor, guns, and fast cars and let them loose with a lot of things they don't have the responsibility to use properly. Guess that's part of life. "
About the guns--some people are much more responsible than others in everything. You can teach children about guns, birth control, drunk driving, or any other danger, but some will still experiment when you aren't there, even though you may be one who says "my kid would never do that." We give kids liquor, guns, and fast cars and let them loose with a lot of things they don't have the responsibility to use properly. Guess that's part of life. "
BigTexN wrote on Dec 1, 2008 11:29 AM:
" rino - Republican In Name Only...meaning they aren't as conservative as they say they are. "
pprwrtr wrote on Dec 1, 2008 12:39 PM:
" Thank you for letting me in on this. There are so many brands of Republicans and Democrats that it is almost impossible to keep up with all of them. I had never heard this 'rino' thing. Sometimes I can be dense, though. "
Boadicea wrote on Dec 1, 2008 2:42 PM:
" BigTexN...I agree with ya and practice the same with my kids...just as my father did with my brothers and I. Kudos! "
Whiskyecho wrote on Dec 1, 2008 4:38 PM:
" zzzzzzzzzz
we smart ones know about gun safety - the idiots won't read - won't get the "hint"
a waste of space "
we smart ones know about gun safety - the idiots won't read - won't get the "hint"
a waste of space "
drivermom wrote on Dec 1, 2008 8:50 PM:
" I grew up in the country. My father always had a gun case with rifles in the living room. I don't ever recall if they were loaded or not. Knowing my dad they were loaded.
However, we knew not to mess with them. We could go shooting with him anytime we wanted. We were all taught on how to handle them and use them properly. He also told us the dangers of improper use and what the results would be.
Parents fail to educate their children on the use of any weapon and that is where the system fails. Perhaps they were not educated to begin with. "
However, we knew not to mess with them. We could go shooting with him anytime we wanted. We were all taught on how to handle them and use them properly. He also told us the dangers of improper use and what the results would be.
Parents fail to educate their children on the use of any weapon and that is where the system fails. Perhaps they were not educated to begin with. "
willbill wrote on Dec 1, 2008 11:48 PM:
" Here, a Tennessee State Trooper told a hitchhiker that he would not arrest him if he would allow him to drive him off the interstate at the next exit. The hitchhiker agreed. The State Trooper allowed the hitchhiker to sit in the front passenger’s seat. When they stopped the hitchhiker grabbed the officer’s sidearm out of his holster and shot him to death.
Sergeant Berry, many police officers have been killed because they have been overpowered by criminals who used their weapons against them.
Therefore, with so many law enforcement officers killed with their own weapon weapons would you support having trigger locks on their and your sidearm as well? What about keeping your sidearm locked up in a gun safe in your patrol car as well? If you felt threatened you could go back to your patrol car, unlock the safe, unlock the separate ammunition case, load the firearm, and you’re good to go. Hopefully the armed criminal at the scene will give you a time out to do all of this. So what makes you think we are eager to go through the same thing in protecting ourselves in our own homes?
Sergeant Berry, we don’t have children, so insisting that my firearm be kept locked up or with a trigger lock would be just as senseless as you or any other police officer keeping his or her firearm locked in a police car or unloaded with a trigger lock in your holster as well. "
Sergeant Berry, many police officers have been killed because they have been overpowered by criminals who used their weapons against them.
Therefore, with so many law enforcement officers killed with their own weapon weapons would you support having trigger locks on their and your sidearm as well? What about keeping your sidearm locked up in a gun safe in your patrol car as well? If you felt threatened you could go back to your patrol car, unlock the safe, unlock the separate ammunition case, load the firearm, and you’re good to go. Hopefully the armed criminal at the scene will give you a time out to do all of this. So what makes you think we are eager to go through the same thing in protecting ourselves in our own homes?
Sergeant Berry, we don’t have children, so insisting that my firearm be kept locked up or with a trigger lock would be just as senseless as you or any other police officer keeping his or her firearm locked in a police car or unloaded with a trigger lock in your holster as well. "
kyhooya wrote on Dec 1, 2008 8:16 AM:
Why don't we hear more about car safety or alcohol safety? More people die in accidents involving those than any other. "