I read a news blurb in which the officer was quoted as saying "You should always check the chamber by locking the slide back and inspecting by both looking and feeling for a round in the chamber..." [boggle] A cop giving firearms advice other than "call us and we'll come and take it away"... I thought that was unheard of!

Dirk

What I find disturbing is the fact that NONE of the media has said that the mother would be charged with not keeping the gun safely stored. There IS a law on that, but let's NOT reinforce that law to the general public!!!
I hope they throw the whole book at her.

I just read the story on the Pioneer Press website and it prompted me to send this e-mail to the writer:

In your article you wrote,
Gun safety tips

• Equip all weapons with trigger locks.

• Guns should be stored unloaded in a locked box away from children's reach.

• All ammunition should be stored separately from the gun.

• Load your firearm only when you intend to fire it.

• Clean a firearm by yourself in a safe place, and never leave it unattended.

As a firearm instructor, I think you may be doing your readers a disservice by ignoring the fact that , like it or not,there are people who keep guns for self -defense.Now, I am as disgusted as anyone by an individual carelessly leaving a loaded gun where ANY unauthorized person could gain access to it[especially a child],But I think it is unrealistic to suggest that ALL weapons should be stored in the manner you suggest.There are thousands of persons in this state who have a permit to carry a pistol and behave in a safe manner with a loaded gun in a holster[not to mention police ].

I submit the following 4 rules of firearm safety:

1 Treat all guns as if they are loaded

2 Never allow the muzzle to point at anything you are not intending to shoot

3 Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target and you are ready to shoot

4 Be sure of your target and what is beyond

If these rules were followed by everyone,we would have no accidents.We need to teach firearm safety to everyone,perhaps a modified DNR firearm safety course could be part of health class in school.

Just trying to be part of the solution,

Nice email.

I have a 2 year old daughter and have had her handle my Glock 19 (unloaded and checked about 5000 time to insure that it was) to see if she can work the trigger. She can. So now, I have launched into showing her my gun and pictures of guns and repeating the Eddie Eagle mantra about do not touch and come tell daddy. She is getting good at it. I carry 24/7, so she sees it all the time. Today I got a catalog from someone or other and on the back was a picture of a gun. She saw it and said "Daddy. Gun. No touch daddy." My heart swelled with pride.

I do similar things with my 2 and 6 year old girls, however I check a few more times than you to ensure it is not loaded...

During a cleaning session recently, I left my stripped down .40 on the coffee table to take a phone call... Only to be summoned by my 2 year old cherubs voice urgently calling for me to come into the living room. As I rounded the corner I see her stopped in her tracks, one finger pointing to my gun in pieces in my cleaning rug, looking up at me asking why I wasn't with my gun... I know pride of which you speak...

So I put her to work running clean patches through the bore...

My kids (7 & 9) know that if they ever want to touch or shoot Daddy's guns, just ask, and we will show them or take them out shooting. I wish more people would do this, my inlaws kids are facinated when I take off my cover around them. I would never set a gun down around any of them, as they would be all over it in an instant.

I went into the doctors office (They were not posted!) yesterday (yeah no driving through the cities!) and had my kids with since school was canceled. As the doc was checking my back, I said, just a sec, and pulled off my Safariland Paddle and set it on the exam table, The kids didn't even look, and surpisingly the doc didn't mention anything. Later at a Chiro visit, when the chiropractor was brushing my side and telling me to get on the table, I again said, "just a sec while I remove some hardware" and set my holstered piece, and extra mags on the table. Her response, "oh, I though I felt something" Once again, the kids were poker faced troopers, which may have put the Chiropracter more at ease.

Mostly-