Gun Safety Activities
- Gun owners should be well-versed in every aspect of firearm safety. According to the National Rifle Association, about half of all U.S. households have guns. Through gun safety programs and activities, firearm enthusiasts of all ages, as well as novices, can learn about responsible gun ownership and have fun at the same time.
- The National Rifle Association--which bills itself as the largest civilian organization promoting responsible gun ownership--gives its new members the educational pamphlet, "The Basics of Personal Protection In The Home," which covers the basics of responsible gun ownership and storage. It also offers classes, instructional seminars and live demonstrations on gun safety. For younger audiences, the NRA has the Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program, which teaches children ages 3 to 12 about the dangers of firearms. This program, which the NRA says has been proven to reduce gun-related accidents, has taught 21 million children what to do if they find an unattended firearm. Anyone can take the course, even if they don't belong to the NRA.
- The National 4-H Shooting Sports program offers young adults comprehensive classes in firearm safety and marksmanship training. Placing an emphasis on teaching practical hunting and conservation skills, this program also sponsors nationwide marksmanship competitions and events.
- The Boy Scouts of America leads several supervised courses on safe and smart handling of firearms. Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts only can fire BB guns, .22-caliber rifles, shotguns and muzzleloaders, but older children in the Venture Scouts program learn to handle and fire handguns and rifles of various calibers. Only NRA or Boy Scouts of America-certified instructors lead these classes.
- The Civilian Marksmanship Program, sponsored by the U.S. government, specializes in gun-safety courses and marksmanship training. Created in 1903 as a means to train ordinary citizens to become expert marksmen in the event the U.S. military drafted them, the Civilian Marksmanship Program lets any U.S. citizen legally allowed to own a firearm participate. This group also sells decommissioned military rifles to any citizen who's a member of a Civilian Marksmanship Program-sponsored organization.
