| There are an estimated 193 million guns in the United | | | | because ammunition was left in a handgun. |
| States, with some estimates as high as 250 million. | | | | 4. Even when not loaded, store your gun with the |
| According to a 1998 survey by the Brady Center to | | | | safety on, even if it is in your handgun safe. |
| Prevent Gun Violence, 43% of households with | | | | 5. Lock ammunition and store it separately from the |
| children have a gun. Of those, one in ten of guns are | | | | gun in a dry and cool place away from heat and fire. |
| loaded and one in eight is simply left unlocked and | | | | 6. Store the keys for the gun and the ammunition in |
| "hidden" in a safe place. You need a handgun safe. | | | | a different area from where other household keys |
| Improperly storing a handgun is not only dangerous-it | | | | are kept-away from children's reach. Or, even better, |
| can be lethal. | | | | use a fingerprint gun safe. There was one occasion |
| Any household that children have access to should | | | | myself where I lost my safe key. My guns were |
| take the responsibility of safely storing their | | | | inaccessible. Fortunately, I did find the key eventually |
| handguns. The following are tips on how to properly | | | | but a fingerprint gun safe would have allowed me |
| and safely store your weapon in a handgun safe. | | | | all-hours, no-key access. |
| Tips for Safe Handgun Storage | | | | 7. Keep the guns dry, cleaned and oiled while in |
| 1. Purchase a sturdy and reliable handgun safe that | | | | storage. |
| cannot be removed from your home and is not easily | | | | Biometric gun safes are thought to be the safest |
| broken into. We recommend a new model fingerprint | | | | way to store a gun. Using fingerprint technology, only |
| gun safe. You can designate who can use your | | | | approved users have access, unlike traditional |
| fingerprint gun safe with a separate print needed for | | | | combination or key locks which take the chance of |
| each person whom you allow. | | | | someone finding the key or combination and getting |
| 2. Always store your gun in the locked safe, out of | | | | to your gun. Keeping guns away from children and |
| children's reach. | | | | other untrained users is the responsibility of any gun |
| 3. Remove all ammunition from a gun that is not in | | | | owner. Take the precautions to protect not only |
| use. This seems like a no-brainer but an inexcusable | | | | your family, but also everyone who comes into your |
| number of handgun deaths in North America occur | | | | household. |