Not only did I move but I marched right down to the next gun show and bought myself a Smith & Wesson revolver. I also went and got my License to Carry. I was not going to live in fear nor was I going to allow someone to put my family in danger like that again.
Carrying a concealed handgun empowers me with protection, but only to the extent that I allow it to. If I don’t know how to use my handgun, don’t take care of my handgun, or better yet, don’t even have it on me, I have put not only myself but my family right back in the same vulnerable position as I was on that afternoon. It is the responsibility of the owner to be abreast of the use, care, and laws of handgun carry.
There are four standard safety rules to always, always, and I repeat always remember.
- Every gun is always loaded. No matter what anyone says, you treat it likes it loaded.
- Never point the gun at anything you are not willing to destroy. Never assume the gun is unloaded. Refer to rule #1. Make sure that the magazine is out or the cylinder is open, then the bolt or slide is open. Once that is done you visually inspect the chamber.
- Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target and you have decided to shoot.
- Be sure of your target and what is around it. You are responsible for collateral damage.
There are a few other safety tips I would like to mention. It is a good idea to rid yourself of distractions when cleaning your firearms and move ammunition out of reach. Teach your children the four gun safety rules. Simple telling them that the guns are “off-limits” or that they will blow up if they touch them will not work! This is why the child related accidents happen. You need to teach them that guns are always loaded, never point the gun at someone else, keep their finger off the trigger, and always check twice to make sure the firearm is unloaded. They also need to know to keep the information that you have firearms at home a secret, and wear proper eye and ear protection. They are watching you so stay consistent.
Last but not least, carry with a bullet in the chamber. There is a lot of controversy over this subject. However, you are not going to have time to pull your handgun from the holster, remove the safety, get into shooting stance and then fire. I promise! The attacker will to be up on you so fast you will not know what happened.