Gun Locks
Dr. John Woods 02.21.17
Why is this so hard to understand? Gun in the house? Kids in the house? Kids have friends over that have never been around a firearm? Yet, curiosity has definitely killed or severely injured more than the cat.
If you own guns, then secure them. If you do not have a gun safe or a lockable cabinet of any kind, then any gun that is in a place that can be found by anybody should have a gun lock on it. You have to plan ahead, but use common sense to ensure a balance between having a personal security weapon ready and handy as needed, but secured away from those that have no business handling it.
Time and time again, you can read in the papers or hear on the television stories about young children or even teens that ought to know better playing with a gun that was loaded but not secured. These “accidents” often result in fatalities or serious wounds or lifelong debilitating results.
An employee in my own office has a son now paralyzed from the neck down due to playing with a gun at home with a friend that went off. The bullet lodged in his neck and his life and that of his entire family was ruined forever. Thousands of questions and “if’s” followed the incident.
One could strongly argue parental negligence in such cases. First, any gun in the house should either be unloaded, locked up, or secured in a fashion that only the primary user can gain access to it. A gun should not simply be “found” in the home not secured. This is the responsibility of the parent or guardian.
The irony is that securing a firearm is so easy to do. In fact, many manufacturers of pistols and long guns now provide a simple gun cable lock in the factory carton as shipped. Instructions are also provided on how to open the action of the firearm, slip the cable through the open bolt or action then insert the cable end into the padlock connected to the other end of the cable. Done. Hide the key or put it on a keyring, and your gun is secured.
Hornady also makes several pistol safes that function in a variety of ways to secure a handgun at home, work, or in a vehicle. Today, there simply is no excuse for not locking up a gun.
