When it comes to kitting out your home, many things are a luxury. Equipping it with the right tools to protect your family – not so much.
A smoke alarm to alert you of a potential fire? No brainer. Locks on all doors and windows? That goes without saying. A home security system?? You get the point.
Owning a handgun falls under the same scope for many Americans. Yet unlike other methods of protection, it can act as a double-edged sword.
Having a handgun around in an emergency can signal the difference between life and death. But when it’s not needed, it can also pose as a real hazard in a family home with young kids running around.
For the family of the four-year-old boy who fatally shot himself in Philadelphia last week, hindsight is no more than a painful reminder.
To prevent such tragic accidents from happening, steps must be taken.
The only real solution when you own a handgun is to invest in safe storage.
Yet despite the huge range available – from those with key locks to a code or combination – you may find that in a real emergency they are more of a hindrance than a help.
We’d all like to think that we’d snap into efficiency when fight or flight mode takes over, but reality is often very different than expected.
