Enough! There are too many real life stories of young people harming or killing themselves or others while playing with guns. Guns are here to stay. Whether or not you have a gun in your home we should all be talking with our kids about guns. If you have a gun in your home, lock it up in a gun safe!!!

The most recent story I have run across took place just last week in Salt Lake City. A 16-year old boy was hanging out with a small group of guys at a friend’s home when he pulled out a gun and was “playing around”. Friends reportedly told him to stop, but he took out the bullets and put the gun to his head. The only thing was, not all the bullets were removed from the gun. Gruesome story I know, but as any of you who have had teenagers know, they don’t always think straight. They want to impress their friends. They think they are invincible. They, “just wanna have fun”. Please, if you have guns lock them up in a gun safe and don’t give the combination to your teen!

What do we say to our kids? How about starting with sharing this real life story. If you don’t like this one search the internet, there are plenty to choose from. Stories are a good way to get your point across, especially a story that involves another child near their age. This young man thought he was safe, but he should have known to NEVER point a gun towards himself or another person. It seems so obvious, but evidentially it wasn’t to this teen. Why wasn’t this gun locked up in a gun safe?

The NRA’s Eddie Eagle Gun safe Program suggests teaching your young child if they see a gun:
• STOP
• Don’t touch
• Leave the area
• Tell an adult

For teens a slightly more mature approach may be appropriate. How about teaching them:
• Assume all guns are loaded.
• Don’t touch a gun without a parent’s permission, and then never point the gun at yourself or another person.
• If a friend has a gun, leave the area and tell a trusted adult.

If you have a gun please, for all of our safety, store it in a secure gun safe. Gun safes come in a variety of types and sizes. You can get a hand gun safe, rifle safe, gun wall safe, combination gun safe, electronic gun safe, biometric gun safe, gun fire safe, used gun safe, new gun safe, the list goes on and on.

Visit Maximum Security Safes today to get expert advice on what kind of gun safe is best for you. You can find us on the web or reach us by phone at (800)538-0600.  Better yet, if you are in Southern California come by our large showroom where you can see over 125 safes on display.

What are your thoughts on how and what we should share with our kids about guns?

Bye for now. I’m going to go home and talk with my teen about having a healthy respect for guns!