Congratulations on the purchase of your first handgun! You’ve just made an important investment in the safety of your home and family.
Now that you are a proud gun owner, there are important safety procedures you need to know. Accidental shootings make up 1% of all gun deaths in the United States, and almost all of these are preventable with the right measures.
Keep It Clean
Keeping your gun clean and gunk-free will greatly lower the chances of jamming and misfiring when it comes time to use it for defense, hunting, or target practice. Guns should be cleaned after every use and periodically even when it hasn’t been fired in a long time. Be sure to follow manufacturers’ guidelines and use the proper sized brushes. Some internal parts like the firing pin and sig fire control unit are easily damaged when mishandled.
Educate Your Kids
Sadly, a large portion of accidental shootings are done by children. This is largely because they don’t understand the dangers. Therefore, it’s important to have age-appropriate discussions with children who live in gun-owning homes. Explain to your child what the gun is and what it’s for. Be gentle but adamant when you explain that it is not a toy, and that they should never take it out to play with or show off to their friends. Letting them see it and if they are old enough even hold it will take away the novelty and curiosity, which will discourage them from poking around when left unsupervised.
Lock It Up
A locked gun safe with the key kept out of reach of small children goes a long way to keeping curious hands away from your firearms. If you want your gun close at hand for emergencies, trigger locks are highly recommended, and most handguns come with them. Also, remember to keep the safety on.
Safety is the most important aspect of responsible gun ownership. Follow these tips to make sure your family is never harmed by the very thing meant to protect them.