Kids are curious. They will do all they can to figure things out. When it comes to guns and knives, you want to be sure you initiate the conversation and teach your kids gun and knife safety before they can get too curious. What are some tips you can use to teach them about safety when it comes to these weapons? Here are five helpful tips to use when teaching your kids about gun and knife safety.
Act Safe Yourself
If you want your children to act safely around guns and knives, then you need to be a positive example. Keep them locked up and do not ever handle them as though they were toys. The minute your child sees you fooling around with one of these weapons is the minute that he or she thinks it’s okay to break some of the rules. Be safe with normal dinner knives and steak knives, and your children are more likely to follow suit.
Display proper storage, including putting knife in a block as well as guns and ammo away in a locked Display proper storage, including putting knives in a block, as well as guns and ammo away in a locked cabinet like those on https://gunlawsuits.org/top-picks/ammo-cabinet/. Showing respect when it comes to dangerous weapons will help teach safety over time.
Explain Their Purposes
You do not want children to try to find out the meanings and uses of these weapons by themselves. Instead, let them know what guns and knives are used for in general, but you should also be specific about the ways that your family uses these types of items. When children are not as curious about the weapons, then they may be less tempted to try to figure out how they work by themselves.
Monitored Use
Young children should absolutely not be handling guns. However, you may allow them to help you the next time you go fishing and are gutting the catches. You can show them how to safely use automatic knives to cut the fish. Of course, you want to be sure that your children are old enough to do so in a safe manner. If you are camping, you can teach them to whittle. Be sure you show them how to hold the knife and push away from their bodies, so they don’t cut themselves.
The Media
Of course, in some ways, the media is not the best place to learn about gun and knife usage, so you need to monitor what your kids are watching. Still though, you can use movies, video games, and news stories to show your children what can happen when people use these types of weapons in an improper manner. You should also briefly discuss the laws and rules regarding the use of guns and knives so that they become familiar with them when your kids are old enough.
Stop Pretend Play
Children should not think that it’s suitable to “pretend shoot” each other with their fingers or anything of that nature. If they are doing these actions, they might not understand how dangerous weapons really are. Explain that guns should not be pointed at people, and encourage them to play and shoot other things and not people.
Guns and knives are an important part of life, and they can even be incorporated into family-friendly activities. Before using guns and knives, be sure your kids know the safety rules that go with the guns and knives they are using.
awesome article! thanks for writing a common-sensed piece about this hot topic.