Frank Semeraro, AKA BIG GUN
When I hear on the news that a teenager finds his parents gun and brings it to school and
shoots students and teachers it makes me cringe. Children finding a parents’ gun and shooting
themselves, their friends or family members because they thought it was a toy or unloaded
happens all too often. When I hear these horror stories all I can do is wonder how these gun
owners can be so irresponsible.
As a firearm owner, it is your responsibility to ensure that guns in your home are stored where
they are inaccessible to children or other unauthorized persons. Unauthorized persons are
Minors, Felons, people who are intoxicated or under the influence or anyone else the gun
owner feels should not have access to their firearms.
Securing firearms protects children and adults by preventing unintentional shootings and gun
suicides. Some states have laws mandating that owners secure their firearms. Unloaded
firearms should be stored in a locked cabinet, safe, or storage case. The storage location should
be inaccessible to everyone except the owner of the firearm. Hiding a firearm in a closet or
desk drawer is not storing a firearm. Ammunition should be stored in a locked location
separate from the firearms.
There are many affordable options for firearm storage that provide owners with quick access to
their guns while still preventing access by children and people at increased risk of harming
themselves or others. Further.
Simple locks as shown below make the firearm inoperable and greatly reduce the risk of injury or death.
My firearms are stored in a gun safe that I have bolted to the wall and floor. How would you feel if you
did not properly secure your firearm and it was stolen and used to kill or injure someone? If you can’t
afford a gun safe you can find used storage lockers fairly cheap.
With all the chaos going on in the world right now, there are millions of new gun owners every year,
many of them are not shooters and have little or no knowledge or experience with firearms. This is the
group of gun owners that concern me the most.
Unsecured guns may actually increase the likelihood of crime and violence through an increased risk of
gun theft. Each year, an estimated 200,000 to 500,000 guns are stolen, and wind up in the hands of
criminals
If you are a gun owner that properly secures your firearms, I thank you for that. If you are a firearms owner that currently does not secure your firearms, I hope you will consider doing so.
