Firearms Instructor Details Gun Safety

Bring a gun into your home and you have a lifetime of responsibility caring for the weapon and for securing it from others and even yourself, said Baltimore County police officer .

"When you have a firearm in a house, it's 30 percent more likely to be used ... accidentally or on purpose," the Baltimore County Police Department's senior firearms instructor told members of the Pikesville .

A gun owner may buy the gun for protection but until the time comes when protection is needed, there are people who must be protected from the gun, Himpler said.

Those people include:

• Small children, either yours or those visiting you. "Children are born engineers and then become something else," he said. "They know how to get to things and firearms are a curiosity."
• Teenagers. It's more difficult to keep guns secured from a teenager than from a child.
• Criminals. Criminals get their guns from people's homes, Himpler said. "[Quality firearms] come out of good peoples' homes when they get burglarized."
• Adults, relatives and friends. In the heat of the moment, someone could get angry enough to go for and use a gun. 
• Yourself. Make sure it takes a while to unsecure the weapon so you have time to calm down and think about what you're doing.

Himpler suggested using several ways in combination to secure a firearm. "No single method is enough," he said.

First, "always store firearms unloaded, no matter what," Himpler said. And keep the ammunition locked away in another place, away from the gun.

There are more options that can save lives. Cost is listed:

• Put a trigger guard lock ($12) inside the trigger. This keeps the gun from firing.
• Secure a clamshell device ($25) around the whole gun.
• Lock the gun in a lockbox ($25) that can be mounted on a wall or shelf.
• Put the gun in a gun safe ($85)

For any method that uses a combination lock, spin the combination dials, Himpler advised. Do not leave the combination only one number away from the real combination. That is called a "day lock," and others can easily figure this out, he said.

For any method that uses a key, keep the key on a chain around your neck, so you always know where it is, Himpler said. Do not keep the key on a keychain with car keys, because someone could easily take those off a table and get the gun.

Cleaning and storing

Firearms also require care, Himpler said. "Choose a controlled, dry location" for storage, and clean firearms regularly—once a month, he said.

Choose a safe place to clean the gun. Keep the cleaning materials away from the ammunition, and away from the dining room and kitchen as they are toxic.

Himpler said the key to keeping a firearm is this formula: CS+D=S. That's 'common sense plus diligence equals safety.'

PCRC meets monthly

meets at 7 p.m., on the fourth Tuesday of each month at the . Residents are invited to attend.