Smart care of weapons by gun owners can help abate the rise in gun crime
A dramatic increase in local gun violence this year over 2020 has been closely tracked in law enforcement circles and there are many questions asked about what are the causes.
There can be no doubt that a too-easy access to guns is one big part of the problem as reflected in a serious rise in the number of car break-ins the past couple of years. Licensed gun owners and all citizens can determine where they stand on a simple check list:
• Are guns unloaded and secured in the home?
• Are guns unloaded and secured in the vehicle?
• Do gun owners train on safe gun use
periodically?
• Do gun owners demonstrate correct behavior
around weapons to others?
When it comes to children and youths, the national nonprofit organization Everytown for Gun Safety’s Be Smart program has more suggestions:
If your child is spending time in another home, have you asked about the presence of unsecured guns in that home? Have you modeled good gun behavior? Are you aware of the role of guns in suicides (an average of 23,000 suicides by gun occur each year in the United States). See more information at www.BeSMARTforKIDS.org.
The bottom line according to Everytown: Storing firearms unloaded, locked, and separate from ammunition prevents access and saves lives.
