Educating others to use guns properly and practicing your own firearm accuracy and effectiveness is important. But beyond accuracy or lethality, gun safety is by far the most important thing to make sure you know perfectly. Safety comes first for several reasons, which we’ll break down below.
Gun Safety Is Of Utmost Priority
1. Guns Are Unique Tools
More than any other tool humanity has ever created, guns are unique.
They are able to end a life almost instantly, whether on purpose or by accident.
It doesn’t matter if you’re just at the gun range or hunting for the first time.
If you don’t know how to be safe with your weapon, you could potentially make a big mistake and injure or kill someone.
Bladed weapons are dangerous, but they aren’t quite as destructive or immediately lethal.
Furthermore, other types of weaponry require more practice or set up to be as lethal as a typical gun.
In contrast, guns are incredibly easy to use (at least at a beginner’s level), and anyone can make a huge mistake if they aren’t using the weapon safely.
This unique aspect of all guns is a good thing for self-defense, but it also means that safety must come first at all times.
2. Guns Can Be Deceptive
It’s also a good idea to prioritize safety when training others or educating yourself about gun use because firearms can be very deceptive.
You might not think that a weapon is loaded or dangerous, but it might actually have a cartridge in the chamber, ready to go at the slightest pull of the trigger.
Because of this, maintaining rigid safety precautions and practices no matter whether you think a gun is loaded or not is crucial.
There's a reason why the saying is, “treat every gun as if it’s loaded”, not, “treat guns as if they are loaded when it’s convenient”.
3. Safety Matters for Legal Reasons
There’s also the fact that, in today’s political environment, guns and gun owners aren’t exactly seen in a great light.
Making sure that you use your firearms safely and abide by standard rules and practices will go a long way toward changing the cultural viewpoint that guns are inherently dangerous or irresponsible tools.
They’re not – remember, guns kill people.
But people who don’t abide by safety precautions or follow safety rules are the ones who end up causing harm.
Don’t get into trouble with the law and focus on safety.
4. Safety Training Instills the Proper Respect
Accidents happen with every adult tool or weapon – that’s just a fact of life.
But as we covered, guns are uniquely dangerous and destructive relative to other tools, which require either more preparation or experience to be overly dangerous.
By focusing on safety training, you or the people you educate will learn the proper respect for these tools.
There’s a reason why hunters, more than almost any other group in America, are among the safest when it comes to gun use.
It’s because they respect their weapons and treat them as extensions of themselves.
Guns aren’t toys. You can't just shoot something whenever you want to see it break or shatter. (although they can be used for fun under the right circumstances).
The Bottomline: Be A Responsible Gun Owner
Ultimately, gun safety is so important because we all appreciate what firearms can do and what they bring to the table in terms of self-defense.
But although they provide excellent power and independence, they also demand a certain responsibility that everyone should understand. Part of that responsibility involves safe firearm usage.
Go to a gun range and hire a firearm instructor to learn about gun safety yourself. Also, check out the plethora of gun safety guides we have on this site for more information.
How do you make sure you practice gun safety all the time? We'd love to hear from you in the comments section!
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