People who are not familiar with firearms often fall into one of several categories:
- They are afraid to touch the gun or ammo or have the firearm around
- They are reckless and handle the firearm unsafely due to bravado or lack of knowledge
- They are children or teens and have not been taught about gun safety or what to do if they encounter a firearm
Any of these situations is dangerous not only for the person handling the weapon but for anyone around them. Education that includes safety, familiarity and eventually actual hands-on work provides not only the skills needed to be safely around a firearm but can prevent disastrous accidents as well. If you have a weapon in your home for self-defense, you hunt or you shoot at a range, then every non-shooting member of your family needs to at least know the basics of gun safety.