Remembering Gun Safety in the Time of COVID-19
With families sheltering at home and curious children always looking for adventure, parents have a lot to think about to keep their kids safe in these days of COVID-19.
To help make it easier for you, Safe Kids Worldwide has tools for parents and caregivers, including a room-by-room safety checklist, safety tips for walking and biking, and a suite of materials to help keep kids injury free.
But there’s another risk in the home for parents to remember: unsecured guns or rifles. At Safe Kids, we have no position on whether or not to possess a gun—that’s your decision. We want to help you keep them safe. So during these unprecedented times when supervision can be more difficult than ever, it’s important to practice safe gun storage in the home by following these three tips:
- Keep guns out of the reach and out of sight of children by storing them securely. Leaving guns unsecured – on a nightstand, table, or other places where a child can gain access – can lead to injuries and fatalities.
- Store guns unloaded and secured with effective, child-resistant gun locks in a locked container out of the reach and sight of children.
- When a gun is not being stored, keep it in your immediate possession and control at all times. Otherwise, store the gun unloaded, locked and separate from ammunition.
See additional gun safety tips and our other blogs on how to help keep kids safe during the coronavirus pandemic. If you have a question for one of our experts, please email Gary Karton at [email protected] and we’ll include it in a Q&A to help you and other caregivers.
