Guns

Why Every Gun Owner Should Invest in a Gun Safe

These days you can never be too careful with your firearms, gun safety in the home should be priority number one if you have children or a home that is susceptible to break-ins. Of course, we are not talking about home defense weapons; we are talking about your hunting rifles, shotguns and crossbows.

When I was growing up, my grandfather had a gun case, an oak shelving unit with glass doors that you could see through, back then, it was sufficient, but these days you need a gun safe to keep your firearms out of the reach of children and criminals. A simple key and lock are not enough to secure your valuables, and what happens if you lose your key? Are you going to call a locksmith to come to open up your safe and get a sneak-peak at your valuables? No, that doesn’t make sense either! Investing in a safe with a combination lock is your best bet. Combination locks are far more secure than a traditional lock that can be picked or broken open. If you own firearms, you need to be responsible. Shotguns and rifles are some of the most accessible guns in American homes. Investing in a heavy-duty safe to keep your firearms out of the hands of children and criminals should be a priority.

Every year there are thousands of young people killed by guns, some of it intentional, and some of it is accidental. We can’t keep every gun out of the hands of our children, but we can start by locking up our hunting weapons and making sure they don’t fall into the wrong hands. Keeping our hunting gear unloaded and ammunition in a separate location is another way to avoid an accidental shooting. Easily accessible firearms and ammunition can quickly turn into a disaster if in the wrong hands.

Keep Your Guns Locked Up

Keeping your guns locked up is the responsible thing to do; however, education is equally important. For young people, they need to understand the dangers and risks associated with owning and handling firearms. It’s not like the movies or video games, and sometimes it’s a harsh lesson learned for these kids. If you hunt or just shoot for recreational enjoyment, you need to take your child out and teach them how to handle a gun properly, load, unload, and clean it. Teaching your kids the responsibilities involved in gun ownership is a necessity if you keep firearms. A gun safety class is a great place to start, but buying a safe so that absolutely nobody can get ahold of them without your permission should be a priority for us all.

If you are careless about the safety of your hunting rifles or shotguns, it could come back to haunt you. All it takes is one criminal to break into your home, steal your hunting shotgun, and commit a crime with it. Now, if you purchased that gun legally, your personal information will be associated with it. The last thing you want is a criminal running around with a weapon that is tied to your name. Keeping your guns out of the hands of criminals is easier than ever with a modern, secure, safe.

Making The Investment

Investing in a safe can be costly, but it will protect your other investments. Quality hunting rifles, scopes, and cases are not cheap, nor are top-shelf hunting shotguns. Keeping those investments secure only makes sense. A good gun safe can also be used to store additional valuables such as social security cards, passports, jewelry, cash, precious metals, and anything else of value that you wouldn’t want to lose to a thief or a house fire. Many safes are fireproof and can withstand the extreme temperatures of a house fire. Anchoring your safe into the foundation of the home will also prevent thieves from rolling it out of the house.

The world is a crazy place, and it’s only getting more insane as the days pass. Protecting your family is your right, and the second amendment of the United States Constitution gives all citizens of this great country the right to bear arms. With that right to bear arms comes a responsibility to keep them out of the hands of children and criminals. Make sure you protect yourself, your family, your rights, and your firearms by investing in a heavy-duty gun safe.

What To Expect in a Gun Safety Class

Whether you are at a firearm range or in the comfort of your own home, firearm safety is a MUST. If you are a novice, a firearm safety class is essential before you even pick up a gun. For seasoned professionals, continued firearm safety education is beneficial.

Gun Safety Classes

Fear of the unknown is an easy excuse for delaying participation in a gun safety class. However, if you plan to own or use a firearm a gun safety class is crucial. As with any other type of training, there are ways to make your experience more comfortable. For example, you can bring a friend. Find someone who is concerned about firearm safety, as well, and invite them to go with you. You can also speak to someone who has taken a gun safety class. They can let you know about their experience and put your mind at ease. Lastly, do your research. Online articles, reviews, and customer experiences can help prepare you for your own firearm safety course.

An Educational Foundation

Most gun safety classes will create a foundation for learning with training via a handbook, presentations, and an instructor. Even if you know nothing about firearms, you will by the time you finish a firearm safety course. You will learn everything from the parts of a gun to gun safety to state laws in your area. For example, if you participate in a training courses at MN Firearms, chances are your instructor will inform you of Minnesota gun laws and regulations. Of course, it is your duty as a gun-wielding citizen to stay up-to-date on changing firearm regulation but this will provide a sturdy foundation for you.

Hands-On Training

An essential part of a gun safety class is the opportunity to actually handle a firearm in a safe, regulated environment. Most courses begin by identifying the parts of a firearm and move on to disassembling and re-assembling a weapon. This allows course-takers to see the inner-workings of a firearm and understand how to put one back together after cleaning and maintenance.

Instructors will then move on to proper form while holding a weapon. Difference stances for various situations will be discussed. Proper form will be practiced in both a group and individual setting, which will allow for practice and corrections.

Oftentimes, instructors will also discuss various types of holsters. Each kind offers unique advantages for various body types, carrying situations, and firearm structure. Basic knowledge about selecting a holster for your specific weapon will be covered in order to provide class-takers with the knowledge they need to purchase an adequate holster.

Firearm Discharge Test

This is perhaps the most daunting concept of a gun safety course: the shooting exam. In order to display your knowledge of course details, each participant is required to perform a test by shooting targets from certain distances with a particular type of weapon. The requirements for testing may vary by state, but the concept is the same–to prove that you can safely arm yourself and discharge a weapon accurately when faced with a target.

Online Gun Safety Classes

Despite the requirements of a gun safety course, online options are also available. Although they allow individuals to study and educate themselves at home, a live fire test is still required. An Online Minnesota Multi-State Permit to Carry Class is offered for a fee, and the live range test fee can be paid in the class fee or at the chosen range. Online courses offer the same knowledge of an in-person exam while being private and self-paced.

DNR Hunter Safety Course

For individuals and youth who are interested in hunting game, a DNR Hunter Safety Course is a great option for firearm education and is required for the purchase of a hunting license. This course is comprised of 12 hours of classroom training and a field experience with seven different scenario training opportunities. Individuals aged 11 or older can take this course, with the license becoming valid at age 12.

Instructor Training

If you are an individual who is experienced and comfortable with firearms, instructor training is also an option. Featuring a 6-hour class with topics on home defense, legal firearm requirements, shooting fundamentals and firearm safety, and a live fire test, the instructor training course results in a firearms instructor certification. This certification allows you to teach firearm courses in the state of Minnesota. Obtaining a firearm instructor certificate is a great tool to make money and teach others about gun safety, as well.