Gun security should be near and dear to your heart as it is mine, especially if you are a parent of younger children. You can look at news reports every few days and see that there has been an accidental shooting of a small child locally by a handgun that was not secured. I am sure you would agree, children should not have access to weapons of any type in a household setting.
Recently a five-year-old boy shot his six-year-old brother in the stomach. Fortunately he is recovering in the hospital. A few days earlier a four year old boy got a pistol that was accessible in his household. He shot himself in the head. He is dead. In another case a 3 year old boy shot himself to death with an easily available weapon. All in the span of 4 days!
There are only a few legal reasons why a pistol would be kept in a household. It does not matter if the gun is there to be carried concealed for protection, as part of a collection, as a weapon that is used in law enforcement, or any other reason, it should be kept in a very secure place. We know that it is dangerous when a gun is easily available to children.
Unfortunately our culture has made the gun very glamorous. Young children see them used on TV and in the movies. When a child sees a pistol or has a chance to hold one, they want to explore how it works. The down side of entertainment is that children don't fully understand the harm inflicted by a gun. All kids should be instructed when they find a gun they should not touch it, but to call an adult in the household if they find a gun.
It is my contention that any adult who is able to acquire a pistol should have the good sense to also find a secure place to keep the weapon. It really does not matter if the household does not have any children as residents, a secure place for a weapon should still be a priority. Many of the accidental shootings that occur are because of the availability of pistols in households where kids come to visit and find a gun which they want to use as a toy.
There is a simple solution to this problem. If it is necessary for you to have a gun in your household for whatever reason, you should keep the weapon in an inaccessible, unseen location. No mother should hear about the shooting death of her 4 year old son by one of his siblings who wants to play “cops and robbers”.
