Bow and arrow was the dominant means of warfare before the coming of the guns. When firearms were already the practical weapon for warfare, the bow and arrow went into the sidelines but has been developed for hunting and for sports activities like target shooting and archery. Nowadays, guns are referred to as the big guns, such as cannon; small military arms such as the rifle, machine gun, and pistol; and nonmilitary firearms such as a shotgun. Whatever the guns, it is very important to handle it with care and to learn the safety tips to follow if you own a gun or if you are keeping a gun at home.

Most homes in the US have guns. Most of these guns were purchased because of safety reasons. But even then, bear in mind that you should always think of safety not only from intruders for which the gun was bought for, but also for safety of the people at home who will be able to see and get hold of the gun, especially children. Read on for the safety tips to be followed when keeping a gun.

· Never play with a real gun. You may not know what may happen once your fingers accidentally pulled on that trigger. Guns are a very dangerous piece or weapon that it can hurt or even kill someone you may know, including your own kids.

· Never ever point a gun to others and even to yourself. Accidents may always happen so it’s best to avoid it while you can. Many times, guns are fired by accident, much more if you point the gun to yourself or to other persons, it may by accident be fired at you.

· Never show a gun to a friend or anyone in the house. Curiosity kills the cat, so they say. Children or other people may get curious about the gun and may find the time to look for it and try if it works and we’ll never know what will happen next.

· Never allow your kids to discover where you kept your guns. Sometimes, when kids have easy access to the guns, they may use this to express their anger, so all the people in the house become unsafe.

· Never keep a gun loaded unless otherwise it needs to be loaded. Prevention is better than cure, so it’s best to prevent the gun being fired because it was loaded than to let it as it is, without bullets which has a greater chance to be fired without inflicting damage. Most gunshot injuries happen because children discover guns at home that are loaded and accidentally fired.

· Never keep a gun without locks. Keep the guns in a safe and locked place where kids can’t get into it.

If it can’t be helped that you have to keep a gun at home, teach your children and everybody in the house what to do to follow safety in dealing with a gun. Eddie Eagle is a program sponsored by the National Rifle Association (NRA), which teaches kids what to do when they come across a gun:

• STOP!
• Don't Touch.
• Leave the Area.
• Tell an Adult

Teach the kids to stop where they are when they accidentally see a gun in the house. Not touching the gun is a very vital rule. It is best to leave the area immediately so as not to be tempted to hold the gun and try it, then tell an adult. The adult will be the one to remove it and do it as soon as possible before anyone pulls the trigger and makes a major injury, a permanent damage and even death.