Gun Safety

[boatme99]

Very nice post, thanks!

[Rottmeister]

This is an excerpt from http://www.io.com/~cortese/firearms/index.html#kids

Police officers with families -- people who routinely have their weapons in their houses with small children -- know that it is not the combination of handguns and children that is deadly, but the combination of handguns and ignorance! To combat this, we must educate our kids. There are a number of parts to doing this:

Teaching About The Firearm

If Your Child Sees A Firearm

Demonstrating The Force Of A Firearm

The NRA has a very nice program called Eddie Eagle that promotes child gun safety, also. Eddie Eagle is never shown touching a firearm, and he does not promote firearm ownership or use. The program prohibits the use of Eddie Eagle mascots anywhere that guns are present. The Eddie Eagle Program has no agenda other than accident prevention -- ensuring that children stay safe should they encounter a gun.

Teaching About The Firearm

"Mommy, how does that work?"

At around the age of 4 or 5, they are starting to watch TV and learn the nonsense it teaches them about guns; at this age, they are also, however, usually too weak to work the action on a double-action revolver, or to pull the slide back on an autoloader. This is the time to start educating them. Teach them the difference between a loaded and an unloaded gun, and how to tell the two apart. Teach them the basics of safety -- to always assume a gun is loaded and therefore dangerous if it's not in the hands of someone who is educated.

Also, do NOT NOT NOT simply state, "Touch that gun and I'll tan your hide!" This tells the kid that the gun is off-limits and therefore irresistible, and it does not impart knowledge! A far better approach, and that used by the parents of the man who taught me to shoot, is to involve your kids in the gun cleaning, show them what it looks like and how it works (Distasteful? Wake up -- so is a white coffin), and tell them explicitly that they may look at the guns whenever they want -- not to play with them, but to learn about them -- as long as they have your supervision. They are not to take out or look at the guns alone. This approach imparts knowledge to offset the effects of TV, and removes some of that illicit veil from the devices. When the latest action hero holds one, it's a thrill -- when Mommy is taking it apart and explaining it, that illicit air is dissipated.

If Your Children See A Firearm

"Mommy, Janey showed me her parents' gun today."

There are four basic rules that you must teach your child if they should see a firearm. These rules are the following:

Stop what they are doing.
•
Do not touch the firearm.
•
Leave the area immediately.
•
Tell an adult.

If your child should be in another playmate's home and that child should show them their parents' gun, your child should leave immediately. However (and this is a big point), your child should also not scream, "I'm TELLING!!!!" at the top of their lungs and run out. If the other child is not properly educated (and if they are waving around the family handgun to other kids, they aren't), they could pull the trigger.

And when your child arrives home and tells you what happened, you should call the other child's parents, not with the intention of ratting on the kid so he gets spanked, but instead to say, "This happened today. I think it's time to give the kids a gun safety talk together and take them to the range." Be cooperative and pleasant.

Demonstrating the Force of a Firearm

"Mommy, can I go shooting with you this weekend?"

And do take them to the range. Many kids (and a hell of a lot of adults) have a very skewed vision of what guns, especially handguns, are like and what they can do. On television, the hero shoots the bad guy once, he falls over, and that's it; guns are seen as delivering what Ayoob called a "sort of remote-control punch" -- bad, bad image as well as being entirely untruthful. You can show your child the truth even with a small .22 by bringing them to a range and showing them what the device is capable of doing. One woman interviewed in Paxton Quigley's Armed and Female stated that she preferred to use filled soda cans. Other people use fruit. (And -- always! -- ask the range director if you can do this before splattering atomized orange peel or Dr. Pepper all over their backstop!) At any rate, what you want to do is simulate the damage that a firearm can inflict on a person or property.

The filled soda can is wonderful for that -- do not use an empty. The terrible damage that a bullet inflicts on a body comes about because of the way the interior of the body -- the fluidy internal organs -- transmits the shock wave to the rest of the body. When you shoot at a hollow can, you just poke a hole in it. When you shoot at a filled one, the liquid inside transfers the jolt to the entire can and blows it to smithereens. This is what happens with a person -- and it's surprisingly violent with a filled soda can. It may shock you as well as your kids.

If you have male children, this is an especially important demonstration since little boys are just learning their roles as males in this culture (and some screwed up roles they are but that's a rant for another time) and handguns are linked arbitrarily but undeniably to masculinity. Even if a little boy is unsure of himself around guns, he may act macho because he thinks he should. Hearing the sound that the firearm makes and seeing the destruction on the other end of the range when the soda can is blown to confetti is a good way to make him lose his "macho," and set his mind to learning.

The Right Equipment for Maximum Child Safety

You can also help defuse the combination of handguns and little kids by the proper choice of handgun. An autoloader with a stiff slide is a fantastic choice since you can keep it loaded and ready within less than a second for you, but unusable by your youngster, who is too weak to cycle the slide.

Another wonderful option is called a Magna-Trigger conversion, available on Ruger and Smith & Wesson revolvers. (For additional information, send $3 for a brochure to Tarnhelm Supply Co., Inc. 431 High St., Boscawen, NH, 03303-3800, or call 603 796 2551. You can also check out their web page at http://www.tarnhelm.com/.) This is a special compltetely ambidextrous modification to your revolver which renders the gun unusable by anyone not wearing a special magnetic ring. Don't let the mumbo-jumbo fool you; this is an extremely reliable conversion. You can simply wear your ring to bed and around the house. If your child gets hold of the gun, they will not be able to do a thing with it, but the minute it's in your hand, it's live. (This is also true with robbers or muggers -- and another great reason to get a Magna-Trigger conversion even if you don't have kids. In the extremely unlikely event that an assailant is able to get your gun away from you, they can pull the trigger until Doomsday -- you're safe.)

Another modification called Magloc exists for semi-automatic handguns, but I have not operated it and hence can say nothing about it. More information can be found at http://www.smartlock.com/.

As far as rendering a gun inoperable in order to protect children from injury goes, almost all of the advice commonly found will work wonders for doing just this -- the combination or key lock through the frame, storing the ammunition out of reach or in a locked safe, and so on. The problem is that this will also render the gun useless for you in a pressure situation. I've already mentioned how very fine motor control goes to pot when you are hyped up on adrenaline, as you will be should someone break into your home. Are you really going to be able to fumble with that combination lock in anything remotely approaching enough time to use the gun to scare off that robber at 2am in dim light when you don't want to turn on the bedroom light in the first place because you don't want to let him know you're awake? Are you really totally confident in your ability to get the ammunition out of the downstairs hall closet without alerting that rapist prowling around down there when the gun is in the nightstand next to your bed?

Put simply -- hell, no! Rendering a gun inoperable without major contortions renders it totally useless. When a gun is needed, it is needed badly and immediately -- the only person you'll be stopping from using the gun is yourself, and that's the last thing you want if the chips are down. Get an autoloader with a slide too stiff for your child to cycle. Invest in a Magna-Trigger conversion if you have a revolver. Better yet, just plain old teach your kid about gun safety. The only weapon that can render a gun safe is the weapon of knowledge -- and you don't need a permit for that. As I've stated above, this may be distasteful to you -- teaching your child the ins and outs of death-dealing machines -- but in that case, you may be one of the rare parents who considers this more distasteful than going to a child's funeral, even your own. This is an extremely difficult subject, make no mistake. If a parent has lost a child to such a cataclysmic tragedy, the last thing anyone wants to be caught dead saying is, "You could have prevented it." But, and I am truly sorry if this offends anyone -- the far, far majority of these tragedies are preventable. An unpleasant truth, but it's a truth that saves lives, so it's worth the telling.

[TenX]

Great educative article. :0
Matter if fact, a lot of this can be adopted to several other items, including fire crackers, kitchen knives, power tools, etc

[tingriman]

Very informatic article, a must read for every gun lover


thanks for sharing

cheers
tingriman

[shoot to kill]

Be safe than Sorry ,

Chlorestrol kills more people than guns, make laws to control it .....................



CHEERS

[eljefe]

exactly, better gun safety than funerals in the family.

actually, cars kill more people worldwide than any war or disease, so stop driving your car...

[Virendra S Rathore]

Yeah those four golden rules are also given at http://corneredcat.com.
That site is very informative.

[Sakobav]

This site has great information on Basic information on various guns, ammo Gun safety and hunting in particular -- had to review this study material to pass an exam for my states hunting license. h

http://homestudy.ihea.com/

Look up read what PROVE and ACTT stand for ?

Another great site is
http://www.huntercourse.com/

believe me after going through the class I can think of all the wrong habits I had..

best

[tsheshabalaya]

Superb sites in both above posts for both start-up and refresher info. I am in fact going to do the tests, although the European ones required for a permit are no less comprehensive and strict.
As an instant access source, I would have liked to see two specific points covered in ihea.com (1) and in corneredcat.com (2)

1. More attention to something which everyone is likely to encounter at some point. What to do with a squib load ?
One explanation for the death of Rear Admiral S.S Jamwal in July 2010 was given by a Commodore, M R Ajayakumar, the Naval officer in charge of Kerala, who - according to the Deccan Herald "told newsmen in Kochi later that the Rear Admiral was examining why a pistol was not firing. 'It misfired once, it misfired twice. It was unfortunate that the muzzle was pointing to him when the firing took place,' he said."
To me that sounds suspiciously like a squib.
If true (and I believe there are/were inquiries), it indicates either or both:
- poor training of the Admiral
- terrible PR by the Commodore, to allude to such oversight by a ranking senior military official
Part of the reason here (and I have argued elsewhere about 26/11 in this context) is the lack of a gun culture in India.
In my Belgian club, Tir Vauban, not doing the needful with a squib, is enough to lose membership, almost as easily as arriving there drunk, naked and with a loaded weapon outside its case.
While hunting (stalking) dangerous game in the open (in my case, wolves are worse than wild boars), I imagined such a situation, and always carry two weapons.

2. I know a lot of people in this Forum may not agree with my way here, but I have a 5-year old son, and quite a few weapons which I use regularly. I am also neurotic about him, and he is quite headstrong.
So my preferred way was (when he was 4) to use both extra-high precautions AND allow him, in fact get him, to handle the weapons, as often as possible.
Today, he is completely disinterested/almost bored by guns. In fact, he prefers toy bows and arrows, and swords.

[xl_target]

2. I know a lot of people in this Forum may not agree with my way here, but I have a 5-year old son, and quite a few weapons which I use regularly. I am also neurotic about him, and he is quite headstrong.
So my preferred way was (when he was 4) to use both extra-high precautions AND allow him, in fact get him, to handle the weapons, as often as possible.
Today, he is completely disinterested/almost bored by guns. In fact, he prefers toy bows and arrows, and swords.

Absolutely right. If you make your guns forbidden, you will only encourage them to handle them behind your back (if they can).
By letting them handle your guns (supervised, of course), you take away the taboo aspect and also get a chance to teach them valuable safety lessons. Lessons that they will carry for the rest of their lives.

[MoA]

[quote="tsheshabalaya"]1. More attention to something which everyone is likely to encounter at some point. What to do with a squib load ?
One explanation for the death of Rear Admiral S.S Jamwal in July 2010 was given by a Commodore, M R Ajayakumar, the Naval officer in charge of Kerala, who - according to the Deccan Herald "told newsmen in Kochi later that the Rear Admiral was examining why a pistol was not firing. 'It misfired once, it misfired twice. It was unfortunate that the muzzle was pointing to him when the firing took place,' he said."
[quote]

A squib is when a round goes off but the bullet gets lodged in the barrel. A second round going off.. generally will result in a Kaboom or at best a bulged barrel.

With Jamwal what probably occured was caused "absolutely wild speculation" a weak firing pin and being an idiot by ignoring gun safety. Or he did committ sucide.

[tsheshabalaya]

A squib is when a round goes off but the bullet gets lodged in the barrel. A second round going off.. generally will result in a Kaboom or at best a bulged barrel.
With Jamwal what probably occured was caused "absolutely wild speculation" a weak firing pin and being an idiot by ignoring gun safety. Or he did committ sucide

MoA - firstly, a real misfire is more common, and people are more used to it (even instinctively) than a squib - which, from what I hear, may be what happened. In other words, we are more responsive to mechanical defects (of over-used/poorly maintained hardware=weak firing pins), rather than the chemical issues with ammo. I, for one, remember my first encounter over 30 years back with a primer-only round.
Secondly, I believe most people (above all, those in the position of Jamwal, and with his exposure) would have instinctively sensed a real 'misfire' and known what to do with it, or what not to.
So your question at the end is more than a light one. Or it was not just a misfire - worse, two misfires. And we have someone then (with a lot of exposure to weapons) supposedly pointing the muzzle at himself while checking it out. Sounds completely unbelievable.

Any case, as far as my point on coverage in the online programs mentioned goes - maybe misfires and hangfires should be included upfront in the content, along with squibs.



Continuing my above post, I think that Admiral Janwal should be given the benefit of doubt. For rare relationship between 'misfires' and 'squibs', check this out (Highroad is a nice site):
http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/inde ... 73569.html

[brihacharan]

RIGID RULES OF GUN SAFETY - I CALL THESE RULES “RIGID” BECAUSE THEY SHOULD NEVER BE BENT OR BROKEN!
1. Respect your gun – IT’S NOT A TOY- handle it with utmost care at all times.
2. ASSUME THAT ANY GUN, AT ANY TIME, IS LOADED.
When someone tells you a gun is not loaded, don't believe it until you see it for yourself. If you offend your buddy by checking a gun after he's told you it's unloaded, then so be it. Better safe than dead. Make it a habit to check no matter what. This is a very important habit to get into.
3. It is the bedrock of all gun safety, and is the most important rule. Another way to say it, "NEVER POINT A GUN AT ANYTHING YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO SHOOT."
4. KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER – EXCEPT WHEN SHOOTING.
Keep that finger outside the trigger guard until you are ready to shoot, and after shooting, move it back out of the trigger guard.
5. KNOW WHAT YOU'RE SHOOTING AT.
Your target is whatever you have decided to shoot. And - this is extremely important - it must be a conscious decision when you shoot something. Don't get lax about this. You need to know what you are going to shoot at, what is between you and it, and what is beyond it.
6. BE FAMILIAR WITH YOUR GUN.
Take the time to learn about the operation and features of the firearm you are planning to use. The time to learn this is not while you are shooting... that is when you need to be learning about grip, shooting positions, trigger control, etc. When you step up to the firing line, you should already know how to operate the gun you'll be shooting.
8. DON'T SHOOT AT HARD SURFACES (INCLUDING WATER).
Water might not seem like a hard surface, but its density makes it pretty dangerous. It has a tendency to allow bullets and shotgun shot to ricochet (glance off) and fly off in an unintended direction. Not good. Hard surfaces like metal, rocks, and hard wood can do this too - and they can even send the projectile back to the shooter, which can be a pretty nasty experience.
9. DON'T RELY ON A SAFETY MECHANISM.
Many guns have a safety device to prevent the gun from firing. These are often reliable, but not always. Use the safety, but don't count on it! Continue to follow the number one rule: Always keep the gun pointed somewhere safe.
10. LOAD YOUR GUN WHEN YOU NEED TO.
Always keep every gun unloaded until you're ready to fire it. So load your gun prior to commencing shooting, and handle it responsibly.
11. NEVER CLEAN YOUR GUN WHEN IT’S LOADED. MAKE DOUBLY SURE’ IT’S NOT LOADED.
12. NEVER STORE A LOADED GUN.
It's easy to get distracted when you're having fun, and target shooting can be a lot of fun, especially if you're enjoying it with friends and family. Don't let yourself get carried away. Take extra care to follow safe gun handling rules, and don't be afraid to correct others if they are improperly handling firearms. FINALLY WE ALL NEED A REMINDER EVERY NOW AND THEN. SOME FOLKS MAY NOT LIKE TO HEAR IT, BUT ALL PARTICIPANTS MUST FOLLOW GUN SAFETY RULES IF EVERYONE IS TO COME HOME SAFE AND SOUND. AND THAT'S WHAT WE ALWAYS WANT TO SEE!
Cheers
Briha

[David Charlton]

Hi Friends,

Guns are a life or death responsibility. So I would imagine that a gun safety course would take a couple of days. I have never taken one, but I did take hunter safety. It was three evenings in a classroom and one morning shooting at a range.

Many Thanks a lot
David Charlton

[FarryBoy]

Nice Poem