Safety around Firearms

Link to Spanish version.

• More than one-third of all families have a gun. Even if you do not own a firearm, your friends, family, or neighbors might.
• More than 40% of families with guns do not keep their guns locked up.

Prevention for Kids

• If you see a gun:
  • STOP!
  • Do not touch it.
  • Leave the area and tell an adult.
• If a friend wants to show you a gun, say “No.” Leave the situation and tell your parents what happened.
• If someone tells you they are thinking of bringing a gun to school, church, practice, etc. or threatens you with a gun – tell your teacher, counselor, or coach as soon as possible!
• Guns may seem fun in movies or games, but real guns are not toys and can cause serious, permanent injuries or even death.
• Never play with a gun. Don’t joke about having a gun or shooting someone.
• Never point a gun at yourself or someone else, even as a joke.

Prevention for Parents

• Always treat guns as if they might be loaded.
• Always point guns in a safe direction. This means that even if the gun fired, it could not hurt anyone.
• Only touch the trigger of a gun if you intend to fire.
• Always store guns unloaded.
• Lock guns in a safe, and hide the keys/combination.
• Store ammunition separately from a gun, and always keep it locked.
• Take a firearm safety course.
• Talk to your children about gun safety. Ask if their friends have guns in their homes.
• Talk to the parents of homes your child may visit. Ask if they own a gun and how it is stored.
• Do not keep a gun in your home if a family member is suicidal, depressed, potentially violent, or has a mental illness.

Internet Resources

• Kids Health: Firearm Safety
• Project Child Safe
• State of Tennessee: Gun Safety

Injury Prevention Service, OSDH, 1000 NE 10th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73117
Revised November 2012

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