CRPA Promotes Safety for All Gun Owners

Fullerton, CA. — The California Rifle & Pistol Association, Incorporated® (CRPA) and its partners statewide urge gun owners to keep firearm safety a top priority and are making safety resources widely available as gun and ammunition sales increase, especially among first-time firearm purchasers.

“The current Covid-19 global pandemic is a stressful time for all who are spending more time at home in relative isolation. The CRPA and its partners (Gun Stores, Ranges and Trainers) want to remind gun owners that part a major part of protecting you and your family is to make sure you practice safe handling and keep your firearm out of reach of children or someone at risk of hurting themselves or others” said Rick Travis, CRPA Director of Development.

CRPA works with your local gun store, range and trainers across the state to provide resources to them and their customers for all gun owners (brand new to seasoned) to teach safety and teach gunowners about the laws of California. This has never been more important than in this present crisis. This is also why CRPA will be announcing online training during this time so Gun owners can continue their training even while being at home.

For those of you who are brand new to owning a firearm we recommend the following:
California Gun Laws Book by C.D. Michel can be found here: https://www.calgunlawsbook.com/

Project ChildSafe®’s “Road To Responsible Firearm Ownership” tool discusses the basic safety steps a gun owner can take to ensure responsible ownership.

Project ChildSafe’s “Many Paths to Firearm Safety” video series can also help gun owners understand how to determine the best safe storage device for their lifestyle, as can this Safe Storage Options infographic.

McGruff Gun Safety videos for young children and an educational video for parents on how to discuss gun safety with children of all ages.

“The fact is that during this crisis more parents than ever are home teaching their kids as the primary educator. This is a perfect time to teach them about firearms safety whether you own a firearm or not,” Travis said. “For those that own a firearm, be sure you teach every person in your home the basics of safe firearm use and proper storage. Reeducate yourself by becoming current on the laws regarding both.”

The fact is that the number of fatal firearm accidents is at a historic low. The CRPA teaches in all of its training programs that such accidents are almost always preventable.

The CRPA has partnered with the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) to educate gun owners about mental wellness and suicide prevention. In this recent blog post, AFSP discusses taking care of one’s mental health during times of uncertainty.

The CRPA promotes the NSSF’s Suicide Prevention toolkit to help firearm retailers, shooting range operators and their customers understand risk factors and warning signs related to suicide, know where to find help and encourage secure firearm storage.

Anyone needing help for themselves or others can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK or contact the crisis text line by texting TALK to 741741.

For more information on firearm safety, please visit ProjectChildSafe.org.