Gun safety is clearly an important “skill” to have on your prepper checklist if anywhere on your list of supplies is a firearm. I think this goes doubly so if there are kids ever in your home. As you know I have several small kids and this past weekend I took my oldest daughter (age 9) out to the rifle range for the first time. We went with one of my neighbors and his daughters (ages 13 and 9). My daughter has fired BB guns before, but this was going to be her first experience with firing a rifle.
As a kid I was always fascinated with guns (what young boy isn’t?) but I suppose I was a little surprised how interested my kids (all girls) are. It’s important to not hide the fact guns are in the house. You have to take the mystery out of it, otherwise they are going to try to figure it out themselves and that’s when horrible accidents happen. To this end we’ve stressed these core rules with the kids from the moment I bought my first gun:
- Always assume a gun is loaded
- Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction
- Always keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot
I think those are a “given” set of rules that everyone, regardless of age or skill, should always follow. In my house there are a few others everyone must follow:
- Set the gun down to give it to someone else (no accidents in handoffs that way)
- Always check if the gun is loaded when you pick it up (even if daddy just did it)
- The guns stay in the safe except when cleaning/taking to the range
- You don’t need to talk about the fact that we have guns to all your friends (it doesn’t make you cool)
- Tell on people who break any of these rules (including daddy)
There is a pretty good list here if you’d like to look at a more complete list.
I have to say I’m very pleased with how her first trip to the range went. You can see in the image her aim (at 10 yards with an open sight Ruger 10/22) was decent and she was really getting the hang of it by the time we left. She could work the action, reload the magazines and even had to deal with a misfire (which she handled very calmly).
If you’re going to be a responsible gun owner then you have to teach everyone in your household responsibility. This is a “skill” that is just as important as anything else on your list.
