“Whether talking about Carson City or the surrounding communities, weapons falling into the wrong hands have devastated families. They are never intended to be but, bad things happen at the hand of guns.” — Sheriff Ken Furlong
With the very current concerns about firearm violence, now more than ever it is important that our weapons at home are kept secure. We all should:
• Store firearms unloaded and locked.
• Use a firearm safe, locked box, trigger or chamber lock to store firearms.
• Store and lock ammunition in a separate place.
• Remove firearms from your home if you have a depressed or suicidal family member.
• Ask family and friends to use these safe storage steps.
• Before you send your child to someone’s house, ask if firearms in the home are stored unloaded and locked. Ask if the ammunition is stored separately. Ask about shotguns and rifles too, not just handguns.
• If you have doubts about the safety of someone else’s home, invite the children to play at your home instead.
• Present your concerns with respect.
• Talk with your children about the risk of firearm injury in places they may visit or play.
• Teach your child if he/she finds a firearm to leave it alone and let an adult know right away.
• Firearms for home defense must be kept in a location under control of a responsible adult.
The Carson City Sheriff’s Office provides free gun lock cables that you can use to render your weapons safe. Our front counter is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at 911 Musser Street.
— Scott McDaniel is a sergeant for the Carson City Sheriff’s Office. He contributes regular public safety columns on behalf of the CCSO.