Utah Shooting
Sports Council
Protecting Safe and Legal Gun Ownership
and Use
P.O. Box 17561
Salt Lake City, UT 84117
Copyright 2004 by Utah Shooting Sports Council.
All rights reserved.
Permission is granted to reproduce the Be Safe handout from the linked page
for safety educatin programs.
Be Safe: Gun safety for boys and girls
in Utah
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Provided by the Utah Shooting
Sports Council click
here for printer ready version in .pdf format |
Be Safe: Gun Safety for Boys and Girls in
Utah
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Instructions Be Safe is a gun safety program intended for kids in grades 1 - 3. It is a story about how one hypothetical Utah family deals with gun safety issues in their home. Kids in the age range of school grades 1-3 seem to listen very attentively to this story and accept its message. This program is commonly used in schools, but is applicable to other settings as well. The presenter will read the story to kids, and then provide the kids with printed copies of the story and ask them to take the copy home and have a parent read it again to them and to siblings before bed that day. This repetition at home tends to help generate family dialog and family standards about kids and gun safety.
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Here's the story.
Scott and Anna were born and raised in Utah. Like many Utah kids, they have parents who own guns. Guns can be very dangerous if they are misused by anyone.
When Scott and Anna were very young, too young to understand and follow safety instructions, their parents had to lock up the guns where the couldn't be reached. Their parents had to kid-proof the guns.
Finally, the time came for Scott and Anna to learn about safety; not to play with electrical outlets, not to ride their bikes in the street, and not to touch or handle their parent's guns. Then it was time to gun-proof the kids. Scott and Anna's parents taught them the first rules of gun safety.
Those are:
> DON'T TOUCH. Never handle a real gun without a parent's permission.
> IF A FRIEND PLAYS WITH A REAL GUN, LEAVE AND TELL AN ADULT. If you are ever at a friend's house and your friend should touch or handle one of their parent's real guns, you must leave immediately. Just get up and walk out the door and tell an adult.
These are the most important first two steps to gunproofing a kid. Scott and Anna learned these rules by heart. Let's try these rules again.
> DON'T TOUCH.
> IF A FRIEND PLAYS WITH A REAL GUN, LEAVE AND TELL AN ADULT.
As they grew older, their parents knew the time would come for Scott and Anna to get their first real guns, BB guns. So their parents began to teach them the rules for safe gun handling.
Those are:
> ALL GUNS ARE LOADED. Always assume that EVERY gun is loaded, even if you have just checked to see if it is unloaded. Always assume that every gun is loaded.
> MUZZLE DIRECTION. Never point a gun at a person, or at anything you don't intend to shoot. The front end of a gun is called the muzzle, just like the front end of a dog is called its muzzle. With guns, ALWAYS be careful about muzzle direction. NEVER point your gun's muzzle toward another person or something you don't intend to shoot.
> FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER. If you are shooting, always keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot.
Scott and Anna's parents made them practice using safe muzzle direction and finger off the trigger with their toy guns to create good habits. Anna and Scott learned the rules by heart. They could repeat the rules any time their parents asked them. What are the rules? Let's try them again:
> ALL GUNS ARE LOADED.
> MUZZLE DIRECTION.
> FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER.
Finally, when their parents thought they were both responsible enough, Scott and Anna got their first BB guns. Scott named his gun Betsy, just like Davey Crockett did with his favorite rifle. Anna named hers One Eye, because she squinted one eye shut when she aimed.
Anna and Scott could only use their BB guns when their parents were home to give permission and to supervise. Their dad got them both special shooting glasses to wear to protect their eyes. they always had to remember and follow the rules of gun safety. If they broke a rule, even a little bit, Betsy and One Eye were put away for some time.
Because they loved their new BB guns, Scott and Anna were very good about following the basic rules of gun safety, and the safe gun handling rules. Their mom and dad spent lots of time letting them practice shooting Betsy and One Eye. Anna and Scott both became very good at shooting and almost always hitting the paper plate targets their mom put up for them.
Since Scott and Anna are so good about following the rules of gun safety and the safe gun handling rules, they will soon be ready for their first .22 rifles. And because Anna and Scott obey the rules, their parents let them look at their guns locked in the gun cabinet. their parents let Scott and Anna spend as much time as they want looking at the guns and talking about gun safety. the day will come, in a few years, when Scott and Anna will be able to take a hunter safety course and go hunting with their parents.
It is very important to remember, like Scott and Anna did, that you shouldn't touch any gun without adult to supervise. Always respect the gun and the person who owns it.