Unload Firearm When not in Use
It does not matter whether you are at a shooting range or in your home if you are not using your firearm it should be unloaded. Unloading a firearm when it is not in use should be “common sense”. The last thing anyone wants to do accidentally discharge a firearm and hurt someone.
Even if you are at a firing range and you are done firing your weapon you need to unload it. It may sound strange to unload firearm at a shooting range, but if you’ve ever been it one they are all about being safe. There are a lot of rules that must be followed while on a firing range including aiming your weapon in a safe direction. Makes complete sense that if you are done firing your weapon you need to unload it.
If you have a firearm in your home it is your responsibility to make sure that everyone in your home is safe. The best way to accomplish that is to make sure you unload your firearm or firearms when they are not being used.
Unloading a firearm does not make it be safe however. Is important to understand that in order to completely secure weapon it needs to be stored properly. Any firearm owner should own a safety lock and a safety lockbox. The safety lock goes directly on the firearm and then the firearm should be placed inside the safety lockbox. The lockbox should then be properly locked.
Another important piece in order to make a firearm safe in a home is to be sure that the ammunition is secured in another location. That means that the firearm and the ammunition for that particular firearm should not be kept together. To be thorough the ammunition could be put in another lockbox and locked up. The ammunition and the firearm should not be kept in the same room.
The purpose of unloading a firearm when it is not being used is not only safety for anyone who does not know how to use a firearm, but also for anyone. Just because a person understands how to fire a gun does not mean that they cannot accidentally discharge that firearm. A person who had a couple of drinks could certainly make a mistake. Or someone who is angry and a little out of control could accidentally discharge a firearm.
A loaded firearm is a dangerous piece of weaponry no matter whose hands it is in. So, if you are not using your firearm it needs to be unloaded. Unloading a firearm is for the safety of you and everyone in the vicinity of that firearm. Be a responsible firearm owner by making sure your firearm is always unloaded and locked in a safety lockbox when it is not being used.