How to Keep Your Kids Safe From Guns

Protecting your kids from guns

The crime rates in our neighborhoods these days are alarmingly high. Some do it because of the extremely tough economic times. But how do you explain someone shooting at a school. You take your kids to school for them to learn and you know they are safe even if you are not there. So when a shooter comes into their school compound and does such, it really poses a lot of questions about safety.

We can no longer hide children from guns. The only way for them to remain safe is to teach them about guns. They have obviously seen them, in music videos, in movies and on social media. The sooner they learn about the proper way of handling them when they come across them is the best way to assure you of their security. This article aims at protecting our kids from guns.

Talk to them

Explain to your children why you have a gun or why you do not have one. Children who grow up in the country side understand that guns are used for hunting and protection. They already have an understanding of why you are in possession of a fire arm at an early age, which is a good thing and is among the first step of assuring their safety. Children in urban areas also need to understand that the gun will help you protect them and the whole family. They have to be explained and make sure they got it right to avoid any accidents. This talk should happen before they are at the age where they are curious about different things. This is usually around 11 or 12 where they can experiment by themselves and you may end up losing a child or getting in to trouble with the authorities.

Explain the NRA rules of gun safety

The National Riffles Association came up with a rule to help the gun talk easier for you and your children. The first part of the rule is “stop, don’t touch it”. Your child should not under any circumstance, touch the gun. Touching is a risk to their lives and that of others. The second rule is to leave. The NRA then asks the child to leave the gun where they have seen it and lastly to tell an adult. Your child will then seek assistance from an adult. The adult will handle it from there. Our child is safe because of these simple rule. A child who has never had the talk is likely to pick the gun up thinking it is a toy endangering his or her life or that of people around them. Children are very good at grasping things and following adults’ instructions. These rules have to be instilled while still younger as they get it faster and you can avoid the worst at this age where they like experimenting which may get them in problems.

Protecting themselves

This will apply when the children are older heading to adulthood. A child who grew up knowing about guns and its impact on life will have a new understanding on life. He or she will see the essence of it in their protection. So they will need to start practicing how to use guns. There are many target rigs around. They will learn how to aim and shoot on target. They will learn how to protect and defend themselves. You have to explain when they are supposed to take charge and protect themselves. Also you have to make sure they understand the consequence that comes with using the gun carelessly

Keeping your home safe

After you have explained everything to your child about guns and their repercussions, it is your time to act by keeping your home safe. Just because you have a gun does not mean you can place it anywhere. If a child comes into contact with the gun and uses it. The consequences will be in your hands. So how do you keep your home safe? Keep your gun safe. Have a safe or a cabinet. A safe is stronger than a cabinet while a cabinet is more pocket friendly. However, you cannot put a price tag on your family’s safety. You can chose to install your own safe click here for more which makes you in charge of your home security system. You will know every detail regarding your system. Apart from having your own safe, you can also get a cabinet. Not just any cabinet, a hidden one. Hidden cabinets are safer because no one will suspect where you have the gun hidden, not even your children this will make you have the first hand when it comes to offering security to your family. Your children should not tell people that you have a gun in the house. Explain to them why this information should not move from your home to any other place.

Conclusion

Having a gun in your home is a call for added responsibility especially if you have children. If you have taken the step to tell your children about it. It is important to have them understand that the gun is not a toy and should not be treated as one. Beef up the security of your home by having safes and cabinets. Also go an extra mile by setting up security cameras as well. It is important to remove all negative notions of guns. People are afraid to talk about guns because there is no easy way to say that guns are for protection. Accepting that they are important in home security is the most responsible act then ensuring that the people in your home know why you have one is also important. This will ensure your children grow up knowing its importance and repercussions if not used correctly. A gun is essential to many who are responsible for their home safety but it has to be taken care of not to be used carelessly to lead to its disadvantage other than its intended use.