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Thread: Family Firearm Safety Instruction

  1. #1
    Team Gunsnet Platinum 06/2016 ltorlo64's Avatar

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    Family Firearm Safety Instruction

    My sister-in-law asked me to speak to my nephews and nieces about firearm safety. I was very honored that she wanted me to do this, and slightly surprised since the niece is 11 and the nephews are 13 and 15. Both boys are interested in firearms, with the younger being very interested.

    The first thing we covered was what to do if you find a gun or if you are at a friend’s house and you are shown a gun without the parent’s knowledge. If you find a gun, you leave it where it is and get an adult. If you are at a friend’s house and are shown a gun without the parents knowledge, they are to leave and call either Mom, Dad or one of us to come get them.

    Next we covered general firearm handling safety. Always treat a gun as if it is loaded, when a gun is handed to you verify the safety is engaged and then verify it is unloaded and never point a gun at another person, always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction.

    I brought a rifle, pistol and some ammo to allow the boys to use after I was done talking to them so they could try out what I had told and showed them. I almost forgot one of the most important rules, don’t put your finger on the trigger until you are ready to fire the weapon. I was trying to remember this last one and I just couldn’t. Then when I was letting the boys actually practice on the guns I saw a finger on the trigger. That reminded me of what I forgot, so we stopped what we were doing to cover that.

    It took about 10-15 minutes to cover all this and then they asked question about guns for the next 10 minutes or so. I also showed them some of the different types of ammo that we have and what it did. Next, when it warms up a little I will take them to the range and let them shoot for a while. I am looking forward to that and will let you all know how that goes.

    Is there anything I missed that I should cover when I take them to the range?
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    Iron Pumping Bastard aliceinchains's Avatar

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    You made a great post and you deserve a pat on the back.
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    Senior Member mriddick's Avatar

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    I always told my sons Rule 1 was to inspect a firearm to see if it's loaded before handling. Rule 2 was never point a firearm at anyone. Rule 3 was never let anyone point a firearm at them.

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    Senior Member El Duce's Avatar

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    All great advice. I tell my children the same things.

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    Senior Member hazmat's Avatar

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    Don't know if you covered it with them, but I always insist on keeping the weapon pointed in a safe direction at all times. Kind of goes along the lines of don't point the weapon at anything you aren't willing to kill or destroy, but a little different in that safe direction is not always barrel up (consider what goes up must also come down) or barrel down (consider indoor ranges with concrete floors and ricochets/bullet fragments off said concrete). Downrange is always best in a range-type situation.

    Also, no horse play around firearms. They are not toys and grab-ass is a big Uh-Uh when handling firearms.

    For the more elder shooters, I also insist that firearms are not to be handled when under the influence. Of alcohol, prescription meds, etc.
    How do you compromise with someone when their idea of compromise is to give them what THEY want?


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    Team Gunsnet Platinum 06/2016 ltorlo64's Avatar

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    Quote Originally Posted by hazmat View Post
    Don't know if you covered it with them, but I always insist on keeping the weapon pointed in a safe direction at all times. Kind of goes along the lines of don't point the weapon at anything you aren't willing to kill or destroy, but a little different in that safe direction is not always barrel up (consider what goes up must also come down) or barrel down (consider indoor ranges with concrete floors and ricochets/bullet fragments off said concrete). Downrange is always best in a range-type situation.

    Also, no horse play around firearms. They are not toys and grab-ass is a big Uh-Uh when handling firearms.

    For the more elder shooters, I also insist that firearms are not to be handled when under the influence. Of alcohol, prescription meds, etc.
    I forgot to mention both of those things. When I let them actually handle the firearms I made was careful to keep them cognizant of where the barrel was pointing at all times. I also told them before anything else that guns are not toys, even when unloaded, which goes right with rule one.
    "Nothing ever gets so bad that government "help" can't make it worse." Pat Garrett, March 22, 2014

    "HATE IS GOOD, WHEN ITS DIRECTED AT EVIL." PROBASCO, April 20, 2012

    I tried to push the envelope, but found that it was stationery.

    Have you heard about the new corduroy pillows? They're making head lines!

    NRA Endowment Member

  7. #7
    Senior Member gunslinger's Avatar

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    When I was 6, I asked my father to see the gun he kept in the closet.
    He showed it to me, told me to keep the fingers away from the trigger unless I wanted to shoot, to keep the barrel always pointed to the ground, showed me how to check it was unloaded, showed me the muzzle, and in the deadliest serious tone told me: "From here, Death comes out. Be careful".
    33 years have passed, and I remember that words like he's just said them, capital "D" included.
    He then told me that, if I were to find a gun, never to touch it, never to let another kid touch it, and report immediatley the thing to an adult. If anybody else wanted to touch it, to make at least sure it was unloaded.
    He also told me that, any time I wanted to see or hold the gun, I had only to ask.
    I asked him a couple of times the following days, then it was just "oh, yeah, pop's gun", and lost interest like even the most marvellous things do for a 6 years old...
    This has been my first "safety instruction".
    I've been member of the local shooting club for some 20 years or so, I own a cartload of different guns, and I'll do the same speech to my son, if I ever have one.
    More advanced instruction may come when one's mind is ready to understand.
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