Yes, you deserve a summer vacation with your family. But you’re wondering, do you carry your licensed firearm with you or do you leave it behind?
The truth is, nothing prevents you from carrying your firearm. However, you must be careful to avoid accidentally hurting yourself or others.
In this article, you’ll find some useful tips on how to keep your firearms safe when traveling.
1. Understand the Law
American firearm owners enjoy a lot of freedom. For instance, you can hunt, travel or enjoy other activities with their firearms. However, such freedom may not exist in other countries.
It’s therefore important that you understand the rules. Knowing what you can or cannot do with your firearm is paramount. How you handle your firearm may change depending on your mode of transport.
For instance, air travel is strict on how you store and secure guns for transit. Vehicle transportation tends to be more flexible. Even then, you have to secure the firearm and store it in a safe place. Remember, breaking the law may result in huge fines or even imprisonment in some countries.
2. Use Metal Gun Cases
A metal gun case is cheaper and portable than safes. The metal cases are equipped with a variety of locks like mounting capabilities or key combinations. But it’s worth noting that the case won’t offer absolute security.
The strategy is mounting the case in a secure area and making effort to conceal it. For instance, you can conceal the case in your vehicle’s storage compartment.
3. Secure the Gun
Always make sure your gun is secure before starting a journey. But how do you do this?
Well, by unloading it before you travel. For a large gun, disassembling it might be the best transportation strategy. It makes it easier for you to conceal and store the firearm in a gun case.
4. Use Trigger Locks
A trigger lock works to prevent an authorized person from using your firearm. The option is simple and very affordable.
A trigger shoe clamps down the trigger housing to prevent trigger manipulation. Exercise caution when installing these locks as they come into contact with the actual trigger. Do not install on a loaded gun.
5. Hold the Gun Appropriately
Yes, always keep the gun muzzle pointing in a safe direction. In simple terms, don’t let the muzzle point at something you don’t want to shoot. Doing this prevents instances of firearm accidents.
A safe direction means an area where an accidental discharge cannot strike anyone or anything. It’s worth noting that bullets can penetrate ceilings and walls. So, the two might not offer a safe direction.
The safe direction might be upwards or downwards, but not at anything that’s not a shooting target. Make sure you’re in control of the gun muzzle’s direction when in motion. The same applies if you stumble and fall. Owning and operating a firearm comes with a sense of responsibility don’t derelict it.
6. Use Gun Safes
Gun safes present the most secure firearm storage option. It is safe and superior to all other options discussed above in preventing unauthorized use and access to firearms. Gun safes are also effective in preventing the theft of firearms.
But how is it effective?
First, it’s heavy, employs a complex locking mechanism, and allows you to bolt it to a concrete slab. All these measures work to frustrate the efforts of thieves who may be eyeing your weapon.
Owning a firearm comes with a sense of responsibility. You must ensure that no one steals, or uses the gun to shoot at any target. Doing so requires you to employ some measures on gun handling and storage as discussed in this article.
