Gun sales have surged over the last several years, particularly in 2020. Over 23 million firearms were sold in the United States in 2020. That’s a 60% increase in the gun industry from 2019.
2020 was a record-breaking year for gun sales. That means there are a lot of new gun owners who are learning the ropes.
Keep reading for some essential gun safety tips, to keep you and your family safe and ensure the safety of your new gun.
Table of Contents
1. Always Treat a Gun As Loaded
You never know a gun’s safety status. Even if you’ve maintained the firearm yourself, previously, something could have happened since then. This can have serious, sometimes deadly, consequences.
One of the most important gun safety tips is to treat every gun as loaded. This means that you need to leave the safety on when the gun’s not in use. You shouldn’t rely only on safety, though.
Things can go wrong, even with the most preparation. This is one more reason you should never point a gun at somebody unless you intend to use it.
Treating every gun as loaded also means that you need to keep your finger off of the trigger until it’s time to shoot. This reduces the potential for accidents due to stumbling or tripping by a significant amount.
2. Maintain Your Gun Regularly
Accidents can happen if you don’t maintain your gun on a regular basis. Blockages in the barrel can lead to misfiring or even explosions, even in the best firearms.
That’s not the only risk of using a gun that hasn’t been maintained as it should. While it’s not as extreme as an explosion, an unclean gun isn’t as precise or accurate as it should be. This has the potential to be a safety hazard, as well.
3. Get Trained
Knowledge is just the beginning of handling a handgun properly. You can have all the book smarts in the world and still freeze up in the heat of the moment. Guns have a tendency to get the blood and the adrenaline pumping.
If you really want to make sure that you’re prepared to use your gun properly and safely, you should get some hands-on experience. Gun range safety can give you more info on handling a gun properly than 100 safety manuals.
Getting trained also puts you in touch with others who are interested in gun safety. This can help you establish a network and a community of people to ask questions and share info. People can answer questions in a way that literature never can.
Taking the time to get informed starts your journey into gun ownership on the right foot. You won’t have to worry or feel nervous when it comes time to handle your firearm. This can make all of the difference when the moment comes when you need your gun.
What Comes After Gun Safety Tips?
There’s never been a more thrilling time to be a sports fan! Depending on what you’re into, there are sporting events happening every day all year long.
Now that you know more about gun safety tips, browse the rest of our sporting articles for even more news and sporting tips!
