BB gun safety is extremely important. People have been told many times that BB guns are not toys but they are still being treated as such. Anyone who has seen “The Christmas Story” should know that BB guns are more dangerous than they seem. Ralphie didn’t take the proper safety precautions with his BB gun and almost shot his eye out. They are not toys and should be used carefully.
Last year approximately 8,000 people were injured by BB guns. Within the last week there have been many cases of the misuse of BB guns: Two 17 year old boys were arrested for disorderly conduct because they were shooting a BB gun at people, a 13 year old was shot by the police because he was waving around a BB gun, a 14 year old shot a 12 year old in the foot, and then there is the story of Tommy Gallagher. Tommy was accidently shot by his 9 year old brother Jamie with a BB gun. The Gallagher family assumed the pellet grazed Tommy under his eye but the next morning he woke up and could not use his left arm or leg. The pellet entered underneath his right eye and was lodged far into the right side of his brain causing him to lose control over his left side. It cannot be removed, so Tommy has to live with the pellet in his brain. He is going through intensive therapy and is starting to regain the use of his arm.
It is important that if your children are introduced to BB guns, they need to learn safety before anything else. We here at The Cooper Firm wanted to inform you of a few safety tips to keep your children safe.
Do not allow children less than 18 years of age to shoot any type of gun, including a BB gun, without active adult supervision.
Never point your BB gun at anyone.
Keep your finger off of the trigger until you are ready to fire.
As stated above, in the “A Christmas Story” incident, always wear protective eyewear.
Do not shoot at a target if there is a potential that someone is behind or on the sides of the target.
Realize that BBs can ricochet so be aware of the type of surface at which you are shooting.
If the BB gun has a fluorescent orange tip, do not allow your children to alter the color. Policemen have been known to shoot and fire upon children who have removed the safety orange color from their guns because they could no longer recognize the guns as a BB gun.
Take proper care of your gun. A damaged or dirty gun is more likely to cause injury.
Most importantly: Treat all guns as though they are loaded. Do not assume that a gun is not loaded.