The topic of Firearms and Children has always been a controversial one with families taking differing viewpoints and approaches varying from refusing to have a gun in the home because of kids, to involving their children in the shooting sports. There are many things to consider when you have both a firearm and children, and decisions to be made.
The first topic we need to be concerned with is Safety…of course! …and this is typically the sticking point. There are many ways to keep children safe around firearms, but the first step is to insure you, the parent, are safe, knowledgeable, and trained. A limited knowledge of firearms adds to the challenge of insuring you are in fact doing the right thing by your family. If you yourself have not received thorough, professional, and effective training, step 1 is to seek it out. Simply having grown up with firearms is not enough. If you grew up knowing dad had a shotgun in the closet, but you “knew better” or were afraid to go near it, its not enough to insure that your children have the same attitude or approach. Learn as much about your firearm, the laws, gun safety, and safe gun handling as you can.
The next step is locking up your firearm so it is not readily available to the child. We have heard many tell us they have it “hidden”, or where the kids can’t reach it. Some have even claimed the child doesnt know they have it. All three approaches are a false sense of security and accidents waiting to happen. If you lose your keys, chances are your child knows where they are. They may not tell you…but they likely know. You may even find them in their toy box. Kids also hear “secrets” and remember everything. Out of reach? I have seen a 3 year old climb to the top shelf in a closet to see what was up there. There is no such thing as hiding anything and hidden items spawn curiosity. There is a 4th strategy we hear also, which is the most dangerous and deserves a separate call-out, that being the purchase of a firearm with a “safety” so that the child can’t use it if they find it. Think about it…the first thing we buy kids are toys with buttons, zippers, levers, switches, etc. We train them to fiddle with everything and to move everything. The safety on your firearm is just another moving part that will immediately be moved…just like the trigger.
So what is the most effective way to insure both your and your child’s safety?…education, for you and particularly them. Children’s classes that not only stress safety and situations where children may be exposed to firearms, but which teach them safe handling and how to recognize when guns are not being handled properly…and what to do. It is important that if they are of a responsible age, they also receive an opportunity to safely and properly handle firearms on the range to not only teach the respect of the firearm, but to remove the “mystery” factor in a controlled manner. Attend the class with your child to know what they are being taught and to reinforce the information in a consistent manner.
Femme Fatale Arms Childrens classes focus on safety, invite parental involvement, insure your kids know what to do (and not do) when a gun is in the house, and teach them how to safely enjoy the shooting sports. We cover topics that include BB guns, pellet guns, as well as airsoft, interactions with law enforcement, parents, and schools, as well as guidelines involving social media. On the range we work one-on-one with your child and provide additional guidance to insure all safety rules are followed at all times. Your children will learn safely and have fun, starting them down the path of responsibility and safety with guns.
Femme Fatale ARMS & Training is a woman-owned business that provides education and support to an over victimized and underserved segment of our population. We have programs to build confidence and skill without the intimidating aspects that tend to exist elsewhere in this industry. Our goal is customer satisfaction and loyalty. We’d appreciate an opportunity to show you how we are different, yet still, help you to accomplish your education and safety goals.
Femme Fatale Arms & Training is located at 4270 Minton Rd #107 in
West Melbourne, Florida 32904 We are open Mon-Thurs 10 to 5, Friday 10 to 6, and Saturday 12 to 4
Call us with questions at (321) 327-3790 or visit FemmeFataleArms.com for more info today.