Safety

We are hearing a lot in the news about accidents with firearms.  Since I have not looked at the statistics, I don't know if we are having more or that the press is promoting it more.  There is also the Facebook affect as folks on all sides of every argument seek out articles to prove their point.  Sigh.  I am very disappointed that Facebook has not become a place for informed discussion as I had hoped it would be. This will be another blog discussion.

We are now reading about many firearm accidents in the press because firearms are in the national arena.  As gun girls, we can see that most of these accidents happen because someone was not following the very simple safety rules that gun manufacturers, shops, ranges, gun clubs, gun organizations, and gun owners advocate.

We need to stop and think about how us Divas can be part of the solution of firearm safety.  That is us finding ways in which to encourage people to understand safety rules and take safety classes.

Here are some additional rules that you can pass on for people that need to have more explicit information than what is in the simple list of safety rules:

1.  When guests find out you have firearms, especially teenagers and children, they want to see them.  Do assume if you put your firearm down anywhere, including the top shelf of a 15 foot bookcase, back of the refrigerator or in the attic trunk, that they will find it, pick it up in true television gangster style and look down the barrel to see if it is loaded.

2.  Don't let your teenage kid walk out of the house with a firearm without you knowing where they are going and who they are going with.  I have left a range twice because a teenager and three of his friends were taking turns waving a firearm around almost close enough to the direction of the target to hit it.  Peer pressure to be cool around your friends unfortunately blocks the common sense gene of most teens.

3.  Do not let a new shooter shoot anything but a .22 cal. until they get their wits about them, know how to handle a firearm safely and can tolerate the recoil of a larger firearm.

4.  There are videos showing new shooters with high powered carbines and other firearms that they can not and should not handle.  The owner of the firearm hands it to the unsuspecting newbie without training or warning about the recoil.  I don't know why those newbies and their "friends" are not dead when a loaded firearm goes flying, uncontrolled in the air and to the ground.  The people that gave the firearms to the new shooters were one step away from losing a loved one and spending a lot of time in jail.  Tell your friends that these videos are not funny they are pathetic.    

5. This suggestion may see silly or common sense, but I have to add it.  Don't drink and shoot.  Duh.


If I had my way, all firearm owners would have to take a basic firearm safety course.  My club, the RGVShooters provides these courses.  Even seasoned shooters should take them to refresh.  Every time I sit in on one I learn something new.

Action item:  Encourage your local clubs, police department, boy scouts, girl scouts, church groups, YMCA/YWCA and gun shop/ranges to offer affordable safety courses.

If you have more suggestions, please put them in the comment section.