There's no doubt that the coronavirus has impacted virtually every aspect of our daily lives. Whether you're currently furloughed or you're able to work from home, you're likely spending more time with your family these days -- especially since many schools are closed for at least the next few months.
Any parent might love the idea of seeing their children more frequently. But without the structure of school in place, that leaves the potential for boredom or even risk-taking. Although you hope your kids won't get themselves into trouble, you'll need to prepare for every possibility. That's especially true if you own firearms.
The whole point of staying at home during the pandemic is to keep your family and others in your community safe and healthy. But you'll also need to take steps to ensure that your loved ones will always be safe when they're home. After all, more than 1.69 million American children are living in homes with loaded, unlocked firearms. Here are a few of the best ways to prevent gun-related accidents and ensure your weapons are stored properly both during this time and beyond.
Teach Your Children About Firearms Responsibility
How you personally handle and store your weapons will play the most substantial role in maintaining firearm safety in your home. However, quarantine is a great time to talk to your children about firearm safety and ensure they understand certain responsibilities that come along with even being around guns. Every member of your household needs to follow and understand safety guidelines in order to prevent accidents. There are even firearm responsibility contracts you can read with your children and have them sign to ensure they understand how important proper safety procedures are.
Always Follow Pre- and Post-Storage Guidelines
Before you can make use of closet gun safes or safe accessories, you'll need to consistently follow recommendations that involve readying your firearms for storage. Before bringing your firearms into your home to be stored, unload them carefully and thoroughly while keeping the muzzle of the gun pointed away and in a safe direction. You should then store ammunition in a separate, locked location from the firearms themselves. Upon returning from a hunting trip (or the firing range, when it's open), you should immediately clean your guns in preparation for storage. Anytime you remove a firearm from storage, first check to ensure that the firearm is unloaded. These steps are essential even if you own high-quality weapons cabinets, safes, and safe accessories; should those storage options somehow fail to protect your loved ones from an accident, your diligence will bridge the gap.
Invest in Gun Safes and Safe Accessories
Of course, the most important and effective component of home gun safety lies in your choice in storage. Gun cases are really not sufficient enough in terms of protection, particularly when you have children at home. You'll want to invest in high-quality gun safes and gun safe accessories to ensure your guns are kept out of the wrong hands. Not only will they ensure your guns cannot be stolen in the event of a burglary, but they'll also make sure your family will be protected from accidents. Biometric gun safes, which can be unlocked by fingerprint, can also provide an added level of protection for your household.
Regardless of the type of firearms you own or the age of your children, you'll want to do everything you can to prevent accidents, protect your property from theft, and gain valuable peace of mind. That's especially important when most of us are spending considerably more time at home.
To find out about our variety of safes and how they can provide both the storage and security you deserve, please give us a call at 800-207-2259, chat with us or send us an e-mail to info@safeandvaultstore.com and let us know if you need help choosing the right solution for safely storing your fire arms.