There are a few key things to consider when you're thinking about how to keep kids safe around guns. Education and Accessibility of firearms are two of the most important aspects. Reducing access to guns is important, but this is never a 100% solution – Gun Safety Education must be an integral part of your family's gun safety plan.
Education is extremely important for keeping kids safe around guns. Kids need to know how to safely handle a gun if they ever happen to come into contact with one. One of the most dangerous things you can do is refuse to teach basic gun safety concepts because you make the assumption that your child "will never be around guns." This is a dangerous assumption, and it makes about as much sense as never teaching your child to swim because you don't live near the beach. Teaching safety concepts can only improve the chances that your child will be safer.
Safety around guns is a mindset that centers around four main concepts that you should repeatedly teach your kids until they are able to fully grasp and understand them. The basic concepts of gun safety are: Always treat every gun as if it were loaded and keep it pointed in a safe direction (always away from people). Never point a gun at anything you do not want to shoot. Keep your finger off the trigger unless you intend to fire the gun. Keep a gun unloaded until you intend to use it. Teaching these concepts will prepare your child for the day that they might find themselves in the same area as a gun. A child who has been taught the basic concepts of safety should have a better understanding of how dangerous it is to point a gun at any person. If a safety-educated child finds a box of ammunition, they should understand how dangerous it would be to put this into a gun. They should understand how much danger they are in if someone points a gun at them.
Accessibility of firearms is one of the most important things to think about and is one of the big topics on the minds of parents. Guns should always be kept in a locked container that is not accessible to children. If the container has a combination, it should be changed periodically just in case someone has observed the container being opened or has guessed the combination. If it is a container with key access, the key should be kept on your person at all times. You can never completely be sure of any container's security, so you must also teach your children what to do if they ever find the safe open or unlocked – immediately leave the room and tell a parent so that they can secure the safe. You must also teach kids about what to do if they ever come across a gun – leave the area immediately (do not attempt to pick up or handle the gun) and tell a parent right away.
How accessible are guns in your home? Do you know for sure that all firearms are locked up and secure? What about the level of security in the homes of others? As parents we can control the environment within our home to a certain extent, but we cannot realistically control what happens in the homes of other people (unless you accompany your child to all his friends' homes 24 hours a day every day). As a result, it is extremely important to talk to your children and educate them about what to do if they find themselves suddenly in a situation where they are with friends and a gun is present. They may feel peer pressure to stay in the area, but you have to emphasize to your child the importance of leaving the area immediately BEFORE something bad happens. Explain the law to your children and teach them about the possible legal consequences to minors in possession of a gun that can happen in addition to the physical danger from being around a gun.
How accessible is ammunition? Is it stored in the same area as firearms? Ammunition is generally a lot more accessible than firearms themselves. There are fewer laws about the sale or possession of ammunition than there are about firearms themselves. Because of this, you should never assume that a gun is safe just because there is no ammunition around that you know of. Guns kept on display can be extremely dangerous if the right type of ammunition is present or becomes available through a friend or playmate. You should teach kids that only Police or Fire Department workers (depending on your locality) can dispose of ammunition in the right way, and these agencies should be contacted by a parent if their services are needed.
In summary, you will increase the chances of keeping your child safer if you take the time to reduce accessibility to guns in your home and educate your child on what to do if they find themselves around a gun. Always remember that you need to start educating early, well before the time when your child might need to use the information that you are teaching.