Gun Safety Research Paper

Firearm safety is a controversial topic in America attributable to the several accidents that involve firearms. The main cause of an accident or death when operating a firearm is a accidental discharge. Several safety procedures and courses may prevent this from happening. Firearm safety and the education behind it is important and necessary in decreasing the several accidents and deaths in America. Guns are not toys and everyone should have proper gun safety before handling or possessing a firearm.

There are several types of firearms, it is important to know the fundamentals on how a firearm operates. The first firearm was invented in China during the 13th century A.D., soon after the invention of black powder. Soon after a few years later

the muzzle loader was invented in the 18th century which revolutionized firearms. The shooter had to put black powder down the end of the barrel, which is called the muzzle. A round steel ball was used as the ammunition that may be cast by using a bullet mold. The muzzleloader had to be loaded in a specific order otherwise it would not fire properly.

Muzzleloader were slow to load, heavy, and did not shoot far and performed inefficiently in damp weather. The muzzleloader was greatly used during the American Civil War by both opposing belligerents. The world saw many changes from 1850-1900 in the development of firearms and ammunition muzzleloading was replaced by breech-loading firearms. The breech-loading firearms otherwise known as the modern firearm loaded completely different from the muzzleloader. The modern firearm barrel is loaded from the rear or the breech of the barrel this allows for quicker reloading. The modern ammunition is far more trustworthy than black powder, especially in damp weather conditions. Few things the modern firearm and the muzzle loader had in common was the way it fired the ignition, burning of gunpowder, which creates pressure, and the use of the barrel to propel the projectile. The modern fire uses cartridge ammunition that include a casing which are made from different types of metal such as steel, aluminum, brass, and nickel. The cartridge holds the gunpowder at the end mid section of the casing, a primer is also loaded at the end of the casing. When pulling the trigger the

firing pin which is found in all firearms strikes the primer it, then ignites the gunpowder creating ferocious gas pressure. The bullet which is at the end of the casing propels due to gas pressure and travels at a great distance from the propellant. As soon as the bullet leaves the muzzle the high gas pressure exits the barrel, which creates a loud “bang”. Depending on the firearm different sizes of cartridges and the amount of gunpowder may make the bullet travel at great distance and at a quick speed. There is three main categories that classify a firearm a shotgun, hand gun, and a rifle. Each three types of firearms have a purpose and operate differently. Through out the years, firearm engineers have improved how a firearm operates by improvising.
Safety programs can educate the importance of gun safety when firing and properly storing a firearm.

There are different types of safety classes a user can take before purchasing a firearm. Acquiring gun safety knowledge can give the user valid information on how to safely store and operate a firearm before actually making the final purchase. Some gun owners like to shoot their guns for hunting purposes, and others like to use their firearms for recreational usage. Whatever the reason, when using a firearm, there are steps users need to take to be safe while operating or storing a firearm. The first basic rule is to never assume the actual firearm is not loaded always check to make sure there is no ammunition in the gun. Even though the firearm is known to be unloaded it should always be treated as a loaded gun never point a firearm at people. When firing or handling a firearm always keep the muzzle in a safe direction away from any nearby bystanders. By doing so the user rules out any intentional or accidental discharge that may harm a living creature. Another great procedure a user may follow is to never have their finger on the trigger this can prevent an accidental discharge. When storing a firearm the firearm should be safely unloaded and locked in a location that is inaccessible to children. Safe storage of guns is associated with lower adolescent deaths due to suicides or unintentional injuries. Many safety procedures can be taught to a user with little or no safe gun

handling by taking a gun safety class. There are only one specific type of license a firearm user can obtain that provides them legally to conceal and carry a firearm on their person. The only reason a user should acquire this type of license is to protect themselves while out in public.
Failing to safely use a firearm has caused a lot of accidents for years. People are starting to be more serious and strict on handling them properly. Statistics from 2011 for firearm-related injuries in the U.S. have decreased due to people attending more firearm safety classes. Over the last two decades, the number of unintentional injuries (excluding homicide and suicide) has dropped by fifty-eight percent. Firearm related fatalities have been decreasing since record-keeping began in 1903, and dramatically in the last twenty years. Unintentional firearm-related fatalities involving children fourteen years of age and under has decreased by twenty-eight percent in the last decade, and by seventy-eight percent over the last twenty years. In the past decade, fatalities in the home have dropped by thirty-three percent, and by fifty percent in the last twenty years. Statistics from 2011 also show that firearm safety programs have made them the least dangerous of unintentional fatalities and have shown them to have the largest decrease. Other unintentional accidents and what they have dropped to are fires, flames and smoke (2,800), motor vehicles (34,600), and even choking (4,600); while unintentional firearm fatalities are down to 600 as of 2011. Unintentional fatalities in the home, include poisonings at 49.8 percent, falls 28.9 percent, fire, flames, and smoke at 4.1 percent, choking 3.8 percent, mechanical suffocation 2.3 percent, drowning 1.7 percent, natural heat/cold 0.8 percent and firearms at 0.7 percent. Statistics continue to drop as more people get stricter with safety programs, and at home safety, causing less and less accidents.
One way to dwindle accidents regarding firearms is to have gun control. Many advantages and drawbacks have been debated concerning gun control. Over the years, the federal government has made various laws restricting gun possession and use. Congress has reinforced the 1938 gun-control law that now denies a gun dealer from selling handguns to persons under the age of twenty-one. The gun-control also prohibits a gun dealer to sell a firearm to the mentally ill, convicted felons, and selling a rifle to persons under eighteen. (P.13) Gun control eliminates some factors relating to firearm violence and illegal possession which is the top priority for this law. Recent laws have become stricter with firearms this can be viewed as a good idea but, to any law there is a disadvantage. In the near future if firearms become heavily restricted, the only users will be the users who flaunt the law which are the very people who should not possess a firearm. Even if where possible to ban guns there are several hundred million firearms in private hands right now.(pg84) Peoples have discussed this decision thoroughly it may or may not reduce gun violence in America. One such example that banning guns could work is Great Britain who, after a severe massacre that occurred in 1996 decided to ban firearms. Great Britain banned all semiautomatic and handguns also encouraged their citizens to hand their weapons to the British government.
Proper firearm education is the single most important tool that can be used to fight against gun control measures and to drastically bring down the incidence of accidental discharges while handling firearms. Firearms have been drastically improved to operate in many situations for the years that have gone by. Firearm safety can play a big role to keep firearms from being banned. Each firearm owner and operator are responsible to use their safety knowledge when handling a firearm. By doing so, any accident that deal with mishandling of a firearm will go down and users will be more comfortable operating one knowing they can safely handle a firearm.