Do you have children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews, and firearms at home? Have you ever thought about what would happen if they got ahold of your firearm? Or the Liability of it? Being an owner of firearms is a huge responsibility in itself, but if you have any children around, it takes ownership to another level of commitment.
If you're reading this and are now thinking about those things, you've reached the right place. Blue Ridge Safe is committed to helping you keep your family, firearms, and other valuables safe.
Look at it this way: a safe purchase is typically a one-time purchase, like an insurance policy. It is the best way to keep young hands off anything they do not need to touch and keep the unwanted out. Lock it up. It's such a simple act, just locking a safe. This simple act will prevent unauthorized users from being injured, causing injury, or even theft. I always remember this saying, "Curiosity killed the cat." I would hate for any child to get hurt or in trouble due to negligence.
Let's talk about the importance of storing your firearm correctly in a safe.
1.) Liability. It's not hard to forget James and Jennifer Crumbley. The parents were convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2021 when their son accessed and took deadly action at his school with a firearm. I couldn't imagine their guilt and could not help but wonder if this could have been prevented.
2.) Common sense. You should want to protect your children, grandchildren, or any other children that come around. They are extremely curious and are always listening and learning. It would be horrific if they were involved in an accidental discharge. As a parent, you know that children listen to everything you say and do.
3.) Protect your property. Thieves are everywhere these days. Don't let yourself become a victim of a scum-bag that has nothing better to do than steal. Also, again, let's hit on Liability here. Your responsibility as a firearms owner is to keep up with your firearm. If you don't lock it up, it could end up being used in a crime by the same scum bag who stole it from you. That would be a tough pill for me to swallow.
4.) But I live alone; Do I still need a safe? Yes! Even if you live alone, you still need a safe. It is good practice to lock your unused firearms or other valuables. A locked safe will most definitely keep firearms out of the wrong hands.
There are a few states that do not require that any unused firearms be locked and secured. However, in North Carolina, we have laws that say you do. I won't cover all of them tonight, but I wanted to highlight one.
North Carolina General Statute § 14-315.1 states that firearms must be stored securely to prevent unsupervised minors from accessing them if they can be discharged.
Did you know that 1 in 3 children live with a gun in their home? I would guess that most of them know the location of the firearms inside the house. Preventing curious children and unauthorized persons from accessing your firearm is so essential.
At Blue Ridge Safe, we think owning firearms is one of the best forms of self-defense and urge everyone who is trained to carry one. Even when you look at our high-profile positions in government or the wealthy, they are armed with firearms. We want you to stay safe and be smart. Lock your firearms up when you're not using them.
Before we wrap this up, we know not everyone can afford a larger gun safe. However, you can not afford to NOT lock up your firearms. We have budget friendly safes but even if you cannot afford to purchase a gun safe. There are other options, we have small safes you can attach to your nightstand or portable safes for under $150 bucks. If you can't do that, at the very least, please use the provided trigger lock or cable lock that came with the firearm. Something is better than nothing. Your children, family and friends are to valuable to not be smart.
Be smart and come see us, and let us help you secure your firearms and other valuables.