Tips for Gun Safety at Home During the Holidays

The holiday season is upon us once again and that means time for planning family get togethers and parties. Along with deciding the dinner menu and picking out gifts, you will also want to take steps to ensure you and your guests safety. This includes gun safety in your home. You will most likely be hosting guests, including children, that may not be familiar with firearms. You will want to lock up your guns before the holidays.

The first comprehensive survey of gun storage in homes conducted in all 50 states showed about 1.7 million children live in homes with unlocked guns. This 2002 study was published in the Journal of Pediatrics and also found that 33 percent of adults kept firearms in the home. Of this number, 4 percent said that they kept guns loaded and unlocked. 

The right to own firearms is important to you. As a gun owner, making sure that guns are properly secured is an absolute must. Extra precautions are needed, especially with children in the home. The holidays can be a stressful time as it is without the added pressure of worrying about accidents. Although a gun safe is by far the most secure way of locking up firearms, there are a few other tips for keeping your family and guests safe.

One of the best ways to avoid an accident is to keep ammunition and firearms in separate places. If possible, buy a safe for each. Ammunition needs to be stored in a dry area that will be kept relatively cool since primers can corrode in a damp environment. 

Even though most guns come equipped with a lock, a trigger locking device gives you an added measure of protection. Trigger shoes are to be used with unloaded guns and lock the trigger so that it cannot be pressed. Cable locks run through the barrel of the gun and blocks the action from being closed.

Before cleaning or disassembling a firearm always make sure it is unloaded. It is also wise to remove any live ammunition from the area where you are working on the gun. 

Children are always looking for something to play with. The best option for gun safety for kids in the home is to lock the weapons so that they cannot gain access. 

A gun safe is by far the best option to keep your firearms and ammunition locked up securely. There are many different types of gun safes including handgun & pistol safes, gun cabinets & rifle cases, and under-bed gun safes. Depending upon your collection of firearms, you can narrow down the size of safe that is needed then choose other options such as the lock type, type of construction, and burglar/fire rating. 

There are several gun safe products to meet your specific needs. Safe and Vault Store has over 30 years of experience in offering solutions to protect you and your loved ones. They offer online help and sales on a wide selection of safes, many of which are manufactured in the USA.