4 Holiday Safety Tips for Gun Owners: Keeping Everyone Safe

The holiday season is a special time of the year when families, friends, and loved ones come together to reconnect, catch up, and make memories. People have time off from work where they can rest and recuperate. With such a happy time of year upon us, it does not need to be ruined through an accident or carelessness with firearms. Unfortunately, there are startling statistics around this topic, with eight children or teens being unintentionally harmed by family fire every day. This is especially true if you have children staying in a house that usually is just occupied by adults. Here are some best practices to ensure your home and firearms are safe for the holidays. 

Locking Up Your Firearms 

Locking up your firearms is especially critical if you are hosting Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any party over the holidays. When you have people in your home who are unfamiliar with firearms- whether that is a child, teenager, or adult, that can sometimes lead to unnecessary accidents that can be easily prevented. Children and teenagers may not know the dangers of firearms, so keeping any firearms locked into a specific case, drawer, safe, or lockbox will ensure everyone’s safety. Modern safes also come with excellent features for securing firearms, such as biometric scanners and combination locks. It is important to protect everyone you invite into your home. 

Extra Safety Precautions 

Another way to prevent any negligence that may cause damage or harm is by adding extra precautions when storing your firearms. If you are having people over to your house who have varied levels of familiarity with firearms, especially people with families, sometimes it is best practice to remove any firearms that are on display or stored in areas with high traffic. This eliminates any anxiety that your guests may have around firearms. When choosing the correct location to store your firearms, please see the above paragraph.  

Also, looking at off-site storage could be a great option if you have young children staying with you for a considerable period of the holidays. Sometimes, out of sight, out of mind is the best approach.  

Keep Loved Ones Accountable 

While you may take firearm safety incredibly seriously in your household, and if you do, congratulations, you are setting a great example to everyone, but many people may not have the same diligence you have. When going to friends’ or families’ houses over the Thanksgiving and Christmas period that you know have firearms in their home, it is okay to ask them how they store their firearms.

Also, if you are uncomfortable with them being displayed in their home, you can ask them to remove them for the time you are there. This is especially true for people with children, as they have the most curious minds and can get too hands-on if left to their own devices. It is not unreasonable to hold the people closest to you accountable when it comes to the safety of your family. 

Keep Gun Safety Alive After the Holidays 

Using these safety precautions that we have discussed in this article during the holidays makes you an excellent firearm owner. But as everything goes back to normal in January, do not forget to hold yourself accountable for the rest of the year, people get injuries and die every day from accidental family fire, so being vigilant is something that should be happening every day.  

By following our advice and taking firearm safety seriously in your home, the holiday period will be filled with good memories, great food, and lots of smiles. Everyone deserves to be happy and safe in your home. 

If you are thinking about expanding your knowledge regarding firearms or want to learn some about gunsmithing, MGS Trade School is the perfect place to start. They have an extensive library of information ranging from different firearms to how to build a gun from the ground up. Go to the MGS Trade School website to start your journey of gunsmithing knowledge. 

Written by: Ryan Clancy, Engineering HQ