Every year, thousands of lives are shattered by preventable firearm accidents and thefts from homes and vehicles. Understanding and practicing firearm safety isn’t just responsible – it’s life-saving. At ACT Personal Defense, we equip individuals with the knowledge and skills to prevent these tragedies through our NRA Certified Training Courses and comprehensive Firearm Safety Classes near Toccoa, Georgia, drawing students from Northeast Georgia, Lavonia, Georgia and Anderson, South Carolina, all committed to making their homes and communities safer.
THE THREAT OF STOLEN FIREARMS
Firearm security should be a priority, for every gun owner. Securing your firearm decreases the chances of theft due to firearms being a favorite target of thieves. Safely storing a firearm and using a firearm safety device can also eliminate or minimize the risk of unintentional death, injury, or damage caused by improper handling of firearms.
Remember, safe firearm storage means ensuring unauthorized and untrained individual do not have access to your guns.
Every day local police departments around the US investigate reports of stolen firearms. According the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), approximately 200,000 firearms are stolen each year. This translates to about 547 firearms stolen per day on average. The issue of stolen firearms is a significant concern, as many end up in criminal’s hands resulting in crimes such as armed robberies, car jackings, drive by shootings, home invasion, gang violence and other crimes.
Most of the cases where guns are stolen involve firearms being left unsecured in a home or vehicle. Proper storage, especially in vehicles, is not only responsible, it protects lives, prevents theft that leads to other crimes. Beyond theft, another critical reason for secure storage involves protecting our most vulnerable…
PROTECTING THE VULNERABLE
According to Nationwide Children’s Hospital, approximately 5,000 children and adolescents are injured or killed by firearms each year. More specifically nearly 1,300 children die from gun-related incidents annually. These tragic incidents often highlight the devastating consequences of unsecured firearms.
SECURE STORAGE AND REPORTING MISSING OR STOLEN FIREARMS
These statistics underscore the importance of keeping your firearm in a secure location. If your firearm is stolen and you don’t have the serial number, law enforcement cannot enter it into the national database. This impedes law enforcement’s ability to track or recover a lost or stolen firearm.
The National Crime Information Center (NCIC) is a computerized index; it is the nationwide system used by police to identify and recover stolen firearms. Entry into NCIC’s system improves the chances of recovery, enables law enforcement to build stronger cases, and protects public safety.
NRA BASIC FIREARM SAFETY RULES:
• Always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction
• Always keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot
• Always keep the gun unloaded until ready to use*
* However, for defensive firearms , the decision of whether to store them loaded or unloaded is a critical one, we’ll discuss that in more detail later in the article.
SAFELY STORE YOUR FIREARM UNLOADED:
• Storage methods include keyed locks, combination locks, lock boxes and firearm safes.
• Keep the keys out of reach of children and where others cannot find them.
• Store ammunition in a separate, securely locked container.
• Use a firearm safety device such as a trigger lock, cable locks, lock box or safe.
WHAT QUALIFIES AS A SECURE GUN STORAGE OR SAFETY DEVICE:
• A device that, when installed on a firearm, is designed to prevent the firearm from being operated without first deactivating the device;
• A device incorporated into the design of the firearm that is designed to prevent the operation of the firearm by anyone not having access to the device;
• A safe, gun safe, gun case, lockbox, or other device that is designed to be or can be used to store a firearm and that is designed to be unlocked only by means of a key, a combination, or other similar means.
DOCUMENT FIREARM SERIAL NUMBERS:
• Recording a serial number is simple and free. There are downloadable forms to record serial numbers, make and model on the internet. Here is a free form from the ATF
https://www.atf.gov/firearms/docs/guide/personal-firearms-record-atf-p-33128/download
• If your firearm is stolen and you don’t have the serial number, law enforcement cannot enter it into the national database. This impedes their ability to track or recover it.
• Without a serial number, a stolen gun can’t be traced or flagged. That missing information can make it easier for your gun to circulate on the street or be used in a crime.
THE UNLOADED vs. LOADED DILEMMA FOR SELF-DEFENSE
As an NRA Training Counselor and Instructor, the rule “Always keep the gun unloaded until ready to shot” comes up in almost every class. I have multiple handguns, shotguns, rifles that I store in a full size safe. When I teach a class, I retrieve the necessary firearms from the safe for the particular class. Every gun in my safe is always stored unloaded.
However, there is one handgun that is never unloaded, that’s my everyday carry gun (EDC). I always have to unload it, remove the magazine and chambered cartridge from the firearm and store the ammo from it in another room. It’s never stored in the training center. No live ammunition is allowed in the training center at any time!
I’ve said all that to emphasize the importance of knowing what condition a firearm is in, loaded vs. unloaded. EDC is loaded and guns in the safe, always unloaded, then safety checked to verify the condition of the gun. I tell every student it’s not unloaded and safe to handle until you personally verify it for yourself.
FINDING YOUR SOLUTION:
Store all guns you are not carrying in a safe, unloaded condition. Carry your defensive gun loaded. Now, that statement will get me hate mail and arguments from every corner of the world. But hear me out. My large safe is not in an easily accessible location. My carry gun is always close by at night and has a round chambered. After all it is for defensive purposes.
Is it okay to carry a gun with a round in the chamber?
Is it okay to carry a gun with an empty chamber?
Answer: Normally yes, but it depends.
Let me explain what I mean. Both ways can be correct, based on your level of training and experience. There are probably millions of people who carry a firearm without one chambered, for safety reasons, and I pray you never have to draw and fire a gun in self-defense. Why? You need to draw your firearm and fire within about 3 seconds. If you take 1 ½ seconds or longer to chamber a round, that may be just enough time to give the attacker the advantage over you. Gun fights are not like you see in the movies, they happen quickly and viciously, at a very close distance of 3-6 feet.
THE UNLOADED VS LOADED DILEMMA
The loaded vs. unloaded dilemma is not an instance where one is right and one is wrong. It’s not something that can be settled in the scope of this article. It takes practice to develop a skill set, draw, move, chamber a round and shoot accurately while getting 3-5 hits center mass on your attacker. At ACT Personal Defense, we believe informed decisions and proper training are paramount. We encourage you to delve deeper into these critical topics, we are here to help guide you in your journey. When you have developed the knowledge and skill to make a knowledgeable decision, it will be based on your training and confidence level. You will know when the time is right to make the change.
If you have questions about anything gun related, home defense or any aspect of gun safety, we invite you to call, text or attend one of our training classes. Your safety, and the safety of your loved ones, is our priority.
Be safe and train hard,
Wayne