Real Methods Of Firearm Accident Prevention example essay topic

A continual topic of discussion among Americans, including our law makers, is the emotional and easily misunderstood subject of guns and children. It goes beyond the primary right to bear arms and the many questions that arise from that basic constitutional guarantee. Reality itself already dictates the need to inform the gun owning public about the methods of excluding children from access to guns. It is also necessary to help produce the implementation of those methods. Guns and children are mingled together either virtually or physically and our children are exposed to firearms today in almost all aspects of society. The desensitization that occurs due to the unrealistic portrayals of firearms in the entertainment industry alone contributes to the always tragic results of firearm related accidents.

It is known that more teenage boys in America die from gunfire than from automobiles. Part of this debate is the question regarding parents and other gun owners being criminally responsible for the actions of children using un-safely stored guns. As citizens, there will always be those who choose to have a gun in their home for protection or for any lawful reason, but these citizens should also face severe consequences for not preventing access to their guns. All gun owners must take personal responsibility to effectively prevent any one, and especially children, from having unsupervised access to the guns in their possession.

To everyone that owns a firearm, the proven safety methods of unloading, locking and storing guns properly should be as natural and as easy as buckling a safety belt. Most crucially though, it is parents who own firearms that should always take the precaution to unload, lock and store the guns properly. An additional, time proven method of accident prevention is to lock and store ammunition separately. It is also very important to hide all keys after locking and storing both firearms and ammunition in a secure place where children can't find them.

By following this procedure, it is insured that at least 2 steps are required to put a firearm to use. First by obtaining the unloaded weapon, and then by having to load it, supplying one additional layer of protection to the methods already suggested. The need to find and load the ammunition helps by increasing the time needed to discharge the firearm. There is no argument that firearms may be easily accessed without adult supervision by curious, depressed or angry children or teenagers. Therefore, if and all firearm owning adults would alter their philosophy and behavior there would be a downturn in the most dreadful of all preventable accidents, firearm accidents involving children. When parents understand the risks unsupervised access to guns pose to their children, they should desire to apply the real methods of firearm accident prevention, along with the not so concrete methods of education and supervision.

If anyone is not persuaded at this point to put to practice safe firearm ownership, they should look carefully at their children and think what could happen if they got hold of any gun. The imagination does not even begin to match the existing reality of gunshot wounding's, mailings and deaths that already occur in our society. It should become immediately evident that taking the necessary precautions is obviously worth the effort. We need to ask ourselves these questions; "Are the guns safely stored at places your children will visit or play?" , "Have you talked to your children about guns and firearm and ammunition safety and precautions?" , "Has each young child been taught not to touch guns, and to also tell an adult immediately if they find or see any?" and the most important question, "Have I done all that I can do to insure the safety of my children?" . That is the goal of all conscientious parents whether they own firearms or not. Although the debate will never end, it is imperative that parents educate their children concerning guns now.

Common sense demands firearm safety and a love for life produces the actions it takes to achieve firearm safety. Children depend on parents to protect them. While violence among young people is a complex issue, we have to keep the children safe..