Guns are ALWAYS LOADED

It's my blog, so pardon me if I have myself a rant here...

Guns are always loaded.
That is the first rule of Gun.

Guns are always loaded... never, never, never NEVER assume a gun is not loaded.
Even if someone you trust tells you a gun is not loaded.
GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED until you safely verify for yourself that the gun you have in hand is in fact not loaded. And when you hand that gun to another person... the gun is treated as if it is loaded. Because GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED!

Headline on the internet radio station Mr C streams: 15 year old accidentally shoots and kills his friend.
He thought the gun was unloaded.

I am a staunch believer that gun safety is every bit as important as swimming lessons are to children.
You may be one of those people who don't allow your child near a gun. Maybe you think your child will never come into contact with a firearm because you don't have one in your home.
Maybe you screen your children's friends for guns in their homes.... you think your child doesn't need to know about guns.

Let me tell you- you do your child a huge disservice by not teaching them the basics of gun safety.

The first rule... say it with me: GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED!
Treat every gun as if you know it is loaded. Always.
The following rules are what my Dad taught me, growing up.

Treat every gun as if it were loaded.
Never point a gun at anything you do not intend to kill.
Never kill anything you do not intend to eat.

(Of course, this precludes target practice and having to dispatch varmints, as far as the eating goes. But goofing off shooting at road signs... nope. I can imagine my dad requiring the eating of any sign we should be as idiotic as to shoot!)

Children need to know that guns are NOT toys. They need to know that guns are tools to be wielded properly. Children need to know that if they should happen upon a gun, they are to get an adult to secure the firearm. Not pick it up, not play with or examine. If they only memorize one rule... GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED.... maybe it will save their life.