Crime & Safety

5 Gun-Safety Tips with Instructor E. Jonathan Hardy

Gun-safety instructor E. Jonathan Hardy advises firearm owners about the best ways to safely use and store their guns.

This post was reported and written by Field Editor Jayme Kunze.

1. Take a safety course to learn the crucial basics.

Hardy said that a gun-safety course, a requirement to get a pistol permit in the state of Connecticut, will train gun owners how to handle their weapons safely.

Some of the basics include:

  • Always keep your finger off the trigger
  • Always point the gun in a safe direction
  • Be sure of your target — and what lies beyond it
  • Always treat a gun like it's loaded
"I'm very fanatical about safety," Hardy said. "If someone's coming to the course because they want to get a pistol permit, and they're not handling a firearm in a safe manner, I tell them to come back and see me in 90 days."

Hardy emphasized that proper training is also essential to preventing negligent discharges of weapons (i.e. when a gun owner accidentally shoots themselves in the foot).

A good training course, typically 8 hours, will also familiarize owners with the parts of a gun, shooting fundamentals, cleaning and maintaining a gun, proper use of ammunition, etc.

2. Always keep your firearm secured from unauthorized users.

According to Hardy, securing your firearm can mean different things, depending on the makeup and lifestyle of each gun owner's household.

"If you're living alone, having a firearm locked in a nightstand might not be a problem," he said. "But if you have kids, the situation changes."

Hardy explained that, legally, gun owners are responsible for keeping their guns away from unauthorized users.

He said that some may choose to store the unloaded weapon and ammo in separate boxes or safes, while others may keep the gun in a quick access nightstand mount, that can be opened quickly with biometric recognition or a combination.

Hardy had a quick money-saving tip for gun owners, too. Gun safe purchases from gun stores are tax-free, he said. Owners can also get gun locks from police stations participating in the Project ChildSafe program.

3. Gun owners with children should teach their child about gun safety — and firearm dangers.

Hardy said that while it's crucial to educate children about the dangers of firearms, it can be tough to decide when parents should tell children about guns in the home or when to begin to train their kids on safety.

"For gun owners with a child in the home, seek out the advice of someone with that experience making sure that a gun is safe and secure and that your child understands the dangers."

Hardy recommends that parents enroll their child in a safety course, such as the Eddie Eagle program offered by the NRA. He also suggests taking a supervised trip to the shooting range, when a child reaches an acceptable level of maturity and trustworthiness.

"The biggest danger is what children see on TV," Hardy explained. He said that the power and danger of firearms often don't come across in the media, and that a trip to the range, hearing the deafening bangs and feeling the kick-back, can be very educational.

"They come away with a whole new perception of what a firearm is."

4. Take the time to choose a firearm that meets your self-defense needs.

Selecting the right firearm for your home can help gun owners defend themselves in the most efficient and safest manner, Hardy said.

He recommends that potential firearm owners take a trip to a shooting range and spend an afternoon renting guns in order to find which gun feels most comfortable to them. 

Owners should even spend time researching proper ammunition before bringing personal defense weapons into their homes, Hardy added.

"A personal defense round is more expensive, but there's less of a chance of it penetrating walls," Hardy said, citing his earlier guideline of keeping track of what's behind your gun's target.

"They are designed to give you maximum protection but also to break apart and mushroom," he said. "You want to make sure that you're safe around other people."

5. Whenever visiting a shooting range, follow the proper safety procedures.

Whether you are first-time shooter or a longtime gun owner, Hardy stresses that certain procedures be followed whenever you visit a new shooting range.
  • Locate the shooting range rules and read through them thoroughly
  • Find the first aid kit
  • Locate the hot bucket for unfired ammunition
  • Always wear eye and ear protection
E. Jonathan Hardy is a firearms training instructor, a legislative coordinator for pistol-permit issues and an executive board member of the Connecticut Citizens Defense League. You can find more about his safety courses as well as his blog on firearms issues on CTGunSafety.com.


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