Poor Gun Storage Is A Premises Liability Case Waiting To Happen
Brian O Sutter
Personal Injury
While it is the constitutional right of any American to own a firearm for survival or defensive purposes, this brings with it an extra set of responsibilities. A gun, after all, is a weapon that is designed to injure or kill a target, and anyone that does not respect this power is subject to punishment by the law. This legal punishment doesn’t just extend to the incorrect use of a gun, it also applies to incorrect storage. It means that if you have an accident in your home involving a gun, and it is discovered that this is because children have gotten hold of the weapon and used it on each other, even if you weren’t present, and didn’t fire the gun yourself, the law holds you responsible. If you want to avoid taking on that kind of harsh, legal responsibility, you need to be responsible with how you store your firearms.
Easily Accessible Is Too Accessible
Sadly, one of the most common stories in gun mishaps involving children is a combination of laziness and underestimation on the part of a parent. The laziness comes from a parent wanting a firearm to be easily accessible in the event of an emergency, such as a home invasion. This usually means the parent will keep the gun, loaded, in the nightstand dresser, where it can quickly be pulled out and ready to go, should a burglar intrude.
Unfortunately, where the underestimation comes in is with the parent not realizing that children are both intelligent and curious. Even if a parent never tells a child where the gun is located, an unlocked night-stand drawer is very easy to browse through-out of sheer curiosity. Once children pull the gun out without parents around, in order to show off to other children, the chances of a tragic accident occurring shoot up by several orders of magnitude.
Take Proper Precautions
If you want to make sure you have fast, easy access to your firearm for home defensive purposes, take the time to put it in a locked strongbox or case. These can still easily be stored in a night-stand drawer, or even attached under it. However, modern technology means that you can get a variety of different locks, whether it is an easy touch-based combination lock that can be opened in total darkness or even a biometric fingerprint scan, so only your own fingerprint can open it.
For people with larger gun collections, a secure gun cabinet or even safe is a better alternative. You can own as many guns as you like, but it’s always important to make sure that those guns are only easily accessed by you, not little ones around the house, or the friends they may have come visiting.
Remember a premises liability case is about more than just someone slipping on the swimming pool tile in the backyard, or tripping at the local shopping mall. A personal injury lawyer is essential when confronting these incidents on a property.