Many gun owners feel safer when they have a gun in the house, but there are several precautions which should be taken in order to ensure that the entire family is safe. Whether you plan to store your guns in wood gun racks or a locked metal locker, here are some guidelines for keeping your family safe and reducing the chances of a gun related accident in the home.

Bullets and Ammunition: Always store your gun without any bullets in the chamber. In fact, it is best to store your gun in a completely separate area from the ammunition. This will significantly reduce your chance to having children find both items, and potentially fire the weapon unsupervised.

Lock Your Weapons: Whenever possible, you should keep your guns in a locked area. Some gun cabinets can lock completely, and require a key to unlock. If you don’t have the space or don’t like the look of these locked cabinets, then invest in some trigger locks instead. This way you can still prevent the weapon from being fired, even if they are displayed on wood gun racks in the home.

Teach Children the Danger: Children who see their parents or relatives using guns often might think they are more like a toy than a weapon. Be sure to impress upon your children the danger than a gun has. If possible, don’t allow them to see where the ammunition is stored, or even where you keep the key to unlock the main gun cabinet.