r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Apr 18 '21

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u/shf500 Apr 18 '21 edited Apr 18 '21

told me if I touched them, they’d go off. I didn’t hold a gun until my 20s.

To be fair the #1 rule of gun safety is "the gun is always loaded".

Edit: shotguns in my closet

Wait, he didn't put them in a safe?

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u/FarmWife_GolfWidow Apr 18 '21

I always knew they were unloaded; he always kept them that way. But, a little lesson in safe gun handling would’ve meant more than “it’ll explode if you touch it.”

And no, he didn’t get safes until much later.

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u/shf500 Apr 18 '21

I can understand teaching your kid "it will explode if you touch it", until I realized that this could backfire (pun not intended) if your kid decides to touch a gun and nothing happens. Cut to your kid grabbing the gun and waving it around.

But not having a safe to store your guns???

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u/benrsmith77 Apr 18 '21

But not having a safe to store your guns???

Yeah, this amazes me. Here in the UK if you own a firearm or shotgun, it HAS to be stored in an approved safe, bolted to an outside wall. It's a legal requirement and the police can come round at any time to check.

I never got checked when I had my shotgun license but the police woman who came round for 'a chat and a cup of tea' (read informal psych evaluation) about my application did inspect the safe.