10 Useful Gun Safety Tips

Guns are inherently dangerous. As such, special attention should be paid to how to be as safe as possible with guns, especially guns that you own and keep at home. Particular attention should be paid to keeping your children safe. These gun safety tips will cover several areas of gun safety, including the ones just mentioned.

1. Make sure your gun is in proper working order. If it jams on occasion, and especially if it fires when it shouldn't, you should immediately either fix the gun or get rid of it. A malfunctioning gun can end up useless when you need it, and it can be dangerous when you are using it for more recreational purposes like hunting or a shooting range.

2. When hunting or firing at a shooting range, always wear eye and ear protection. It is understandable that you might not take the time to find and wear eye and ear protection in an emergency like a break-in, but whenever it is not an emergency, you should be taking advantage of this extra protection.

3. Only use the ammo that the gun is designed to fire. Using the incorrect ammo can make the gun inoperable or outright dangerous. Always double check your ammo to make sure it's the right ammo.

4. Keep the gun locked away out of reach of children. Very little is scarier than a child who found a gun and doesn't understand the weapon, let alone know how to use it safely.

5. Store the ammo in a locked location separate from the gun and out of reach of children. This makes the gun much safer as an unloaded gun is significantly less dangerous than a loaded one.

6. Be sure to unload your gun when you store it, otherwise tip number 5 becomes useless. Keeping a loaded gun laying around is simply irresponsible.

7. Don't hold your finger over the trigger of the gun until you are ready to actually fire at something. Accidental misfires are incredibly dangerous.

8. Be aware of your target and anything near your target. You should always keep in mind that there is the possibility that you might miss, or the bullet might go all the way through your target and into something else. You should always keep these factors in mind.

9. Never use alcohol or drugs before or while firing a gun. Even over the counter medicine might have an effect on your ability to properly aim and use a gun, so it's better to avoid it entirely.

10. Teach your child about gun safety. If your child knows how to handle guns, or at the very least what they should do if they find one, your child becomes significantly less likely to hurt themselves or others when they discover a gun.

Owning and operating a gun can be a very enjoyable experience, but it can be forever ruined by an accident involving guns. Please be very careful with your firearms.

For more information, try this article on Gun Safety.