We make it through because we learn how to use these tools safely, which should always be the primary focus where firearms are concerned. Safety becomes doubly important when firearms and children are in the house. Unsupervised kids and guns do not mix, so its important to start educating your children about firearms safety at an early age.
Remove the Mystery
Take the time to instruct your kids about guns, remove the mystery and neutralize the forbidden fruit syndrome. Take your children to the range and let them shoot your guns under your supervision. Help them learn how they work and the proper way to handle them safely. Above all, make them respect what firearms can do.
Develop a Fall-Back Plan
Should an intruder break into your home, do they know what to do? More important, do they know where to go to avoid injury should you have to defend them? One of the big dangers in using any firearm for home defense is that you run the risk of hitting the wrong person. Its easy for a bullet to penetrate through some drywall and hit somebody on the other side or even exit your house and hurt a neighbor.
The use of deadly force should always be a last...