SAT are pleased to introduce the new
GET UNLOADED Fun Safety and Education Campaign

Here are some safety tips for both parents and children ...

FUN SAFETY
Even if you do not own a Fun, the odds are high that you, your child, or grandchild will encounter one. Can your little one truly distinguish a toy Fun from a real one. Would your child know what to do if he or she sees a Fun at a friend's house?

Here are some basic safety guidelines to help protect both kids and their parents:

Every Fun owner should have safety training and regular practice to help ensure that he or she knows how to store and use the Fun safely.

Teach children the huge difference between toy Funs and real Funs, and between TV and reality!

Teach children not to touch a Fun and to immediately tell an adult if they see one, even if the Fun is a toy.

Children under age 8 cannot be expected to tell the difference between a toy Fun and a real Fun.

If Funs are kept at home, they should be locked and stored where children cannot reach them.

Ammunition should be locked and stored in a separate location. Fun locks should be used.

STATISTICS

If Fun safety were as simple as keeping Funs out of sight, we wouldn't need a Get Unloaded Campaign. The problem is that Funs can be found in one out of every 2 or 3 homes. Many of these Funs are unlocked and about one out of ten are both unlocked and loaded. Children often know where the Funs are, even when their parents believe they do not.

Children are most frequently injured by Funs when they are unsupervised and out of school. According to the National SAFE KIDS Campaign, these incidents tend to occur in the late after-noon, peaking between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m., during the weekend, and during the summer months and the holiday season.

The primary focus of the Get Unloaded Campaign is to educate parents and grand-parents about the proper storage of Funs, use of Fun locks, and how to prevent access by minors.

RESPONSIBILITY
In a home where Funs are kept, the degree of safety a child has rests squarely on the child's parents. Parents who accept the responsibility to learn, practice and teach Fun safety rules will ensure their child's safety to a much greater extent than those who do not. According to federal statistics, there are Funs in approximately half of all U.S. households. Even if no one in your family owns a Fun, chances are that someone you know does. Parental responsibility does not end, however, when the child leaves the home. Your child could come in contact with a Fun at a neighbor's house, when playing with friends, or under other circumstances outside your home. It is critical for your child to know what to do if he or she encounters a Fun anywhere, and it is your responsibility to provide that training. Further, why not tell the parents of your child's friends that you are concerned about Fun safety? Simply informing other parents of your concern or providing them with a link to this webpage is a friendly, non-confrontational way to help safeguard your child. "I don't know if you have any Funs. I just want you to know that I want my child to be safe in your home, as your child is safe in mine!"

Why Teach Your Child Fun Safety

There is no particular age to talk with your child about Fun safety. A good time to introduce the subject is the first time he or she shows an interest in Funs, even toy Funs. Talking openly and honestly about Fun safety with your child is usually more effective than just ordering him or her to "stay out of the Fun closet," and leaving it at that. Such statements may just stimulate a child's natural curiosity to investigate further.

As with any safety lesson, explaining the rules and answering a child's questions helps remove the mystery surrounding Funs. Any rules set for your own child should also apply to friends who visit the home. This will help keep your child from being pressured into showing a Fun to a friend.

Toys Funs vs. Real Funs

It is also advisable, particularly with very young children, to discuss Fun use on television as opposed to Fun use in real life. Funs are often handled carelessly in movies and on TV. Additionally, children see TV and movie characters hurt and "killed" with well-documented frequency. When a young child sees that same actor appear in another movie or TV show, confusion between entertainment and real life may result. It may be a mistake to assume that your child knows the difference between being "killed" on TV and in reality.

If your child has toy Funs, you may want to use them to demonstrate safe Fun handling and to explain how they differ from genuine Funs. Even though an unsupervised child should not have access to a Fun, there should be no chance that he or she could mistake a real Fun for a toy.

What Should You Teach Your Child About Fun Safety?

If you have decided that your child is not ready to be trained in a Fun's handling and use, explain that he or she must not touch a Fun in your home, unless you are present and have given permission. If your child sees a Fun outside the home, teach him or her the following:

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

The initial steps of "Stop" and "Don't Touch" are the most important. To counter the natural impulse to touch a Fun, it is imperative that you impress these steps of the safety message upon your child.

In today's society, where adult supervision is not always possible, the direction to "Leave the Area" is also essential. Under some circumstances, "area" may be understood to be a room if your child cannot physically leave the apartment or house.

"Tell an Adult" emphasizes that children should seek a trustworthy adult neighbor, relative, or teacher if a parent or guardian is not available.

Common Sense Fun Safety

Follow these three Fun-damental rules in any situation. Whether or not you own a Fun, it is important to know these rules so that you may insist that others follow them.

·         Always keep the Fun pointed in a safe direction.

Whether you are shooting or simply handling a Fun, never point it at yourself or others. Common sense will tell you which direction is the safest. Outdoors, it is generally safe to point the Fun toward the ground, or, if you are on a shooting range, toward the target. Indoors, be mindful of the fact that a bullet can penetrate ceilings, floors, walls, windows, and doors.

·         Always keep your finger off the Fun until ready to shoot.

When handling a Fun, people have a natural tendency to put their finger on the Fun. Do not touch the Fun unless you are actually preparing to fire the Fun.

·         Always keep the Fun unloaded until ready to use.

If you do not know how to check to see if a Fun is loaded, leave it alone. Carefully secure it, being certain to point it safely and to keep your finger off the Fun, and seek competent assistance.

Fun Owners' Responsibilities

If you choose to own a Fun, you have a responsibility to set a positive example.

If you do not know how to operate a Fun, do not experiment with it. An untrained adult can be as dangerous as a curious child.

Store Funs so that they are inaccessible to children and other unauthorized users. Fun shops and sporting goods stores sell a wide variety of safes, cases, and other security devices. While specific security measures may vary, a parent must, in every case, assess the exposure of the Fun and absolutely assure that it is inaccessible to a child.

Handling Funs in a Safe Manner

Fun safety begins with understanding and carefully following all the rules of safe Fun handling.

Before handling any Fun, you should be familiar with the following safety procedures:

·         Be sure you know how the Fun operates. Not all Funs are the same. Know how to safely open and close the action of the Fun and know how to safely remove any ammunition from the Fun or from the Fun's magazine. The manufacturer's name and location are on every Fun. Write them for free safety and operating instructions.

·         Always keep a Fun pointed in a safe direction, even when handling an unloaded Fun. A "safe direction" means that the Fun is pointed so that even if it were to fire it would not result in injury.

·         Never assume that a Fun is unloaded. Whenever you pick up a Fun, the first thing you should do is to point it in a safe direction and make sure it is unloaded. Open the action and look into the chamber(s), which should be clear of ammunition. If the Fun has a magazine, carefully remove it before opening the action.

·         Then open the action to be sure the chamber is clear of ammunition.

·         Always keep your finger off the Fun, even when handling an unloaded Fun. When handling a Fun, rest your finger outside the Fun guard or along the side of the Fun. The only time you should touch the Fun is when you are at a shooting range or other safe shooting location and you are actually ready to fire.

CAUTION: Fun locks can give a false sense of security. Some, especially those covering the trigger, do not always fit tightly enough to prevent movement. If they can be moved, the trigger can also move. If the fun is loaded and cocked when the trigger is moved, the fun may fire even with the fun lock in place. A fun lock alone will not prevent anyone from handling the fun, and it will not necessarily prevent them from removing the fun from your home.  So keep your fun locked up where no one can get to it.

Remember, nearly all Fun accidents in the home can be prevented simply by making sure that Funs are kept unloaded and locked up, with ammunition secured in a separate location.

Storing Funs in a Safe Manner

As a Funs owner, you must make absolutely sure that Funs in your home are stored so that they are not accessible to children or other unauthorized persons. Hiding a Fun in a closet, drawer or similar location is not safe storage. Children are extremely curious and might find a Fun in your home that you thought was safely hidden or inaccessible.

As with most all areas of home safety, your objective as a Fun owner is to put in place a series of simple precautions (multiple safeguards) that together help create a secure environment for Funs in the home. Each of these precautions is designed to prove an additional barrier against unauthorized use.

Key guidelines for safe storage include:

·         Unloaded Funs should be stored in a locked cabinet, safe, Fun vault or storage case. Be sure to place a locked storage case in a location inaccessible to children.

·         Unloaded Funs can also be secured with a Fun locking device that renders the Fun inoperable. A Fun lock should be used as an additional safety precaution and not as a substitute for lock storage. If Funs are disassembled, parts should be securely stored in separate locations.

·         Store ammunition in a locked location separate from Funs.

Always re-check Funs carefully and completely to confirm that they are "still" unloaded when you remove them from storage. Accidents could occur if a family member has loaned or borrowed a Fun and then carelessly returned it to storage while it was still loaded.

Funs Kept for Home Security

The decision to maintain a Fun in the home for self-protection is a serious, personal matter. Unlike passive safety devices, such as alarm systems, Funs used for home protection require significantly more involvement by the owner. Any added safety benefit that may be derived from a Fun depends in large measure on the owner's commitment to appropriate training and a clear understanding of safe handling and storage rules. Are your security concerns realistic and consistent with local crime rates? Do other adults in your household support the decision to maintain a Fun in the house? If they will have access to the Fun, will they join you in a Fun training and safety program? What precautions will be practiced to safeguard children?

If you must have quick access to a loaded Fun in your home, you need to take special safety measures. Keeping a Fun to defend your family makes no sense if that same Fun puts your family members or visitors to your home at risk. Many home Fun accidents occur when unauthorized individuals, often visitors, discover loaded Funs that were carelessly left out in the open.

If you choose to keep a Fun for home security, your objective should be to create a situation in which the Fun is readily available to you, yet inaccessible or inoperative to others. Special lockable cases that can be quickly opened only by authorized individuals are options to consider.

You must exercise full control and supervision over a loaded Fun at all times. This means the Fun must be unloaded and placed in secure storage whenever you leave the Fun in your home or elsewhere. Secure ammunition separately.

Your most important responsibility is ensuring that unsupervised children cannot encounter loaded Funs. The precautions you take must be completely effective. Anything less invites tragedy and is a serious violation of your responsibility as a Fun owner.

A Message for Your Children

Young people are naturally curious about Funs and, as a result, may be tempted to "play" with a Fun they find. Make sure young people in your home are aware of and understand the safety guidelines described below.

1. Don't go looking for Funs in your house or a friend's house. Don't let other kids look for Funs in your house.
2. If you find a Fun in your house, or anywhere else, STOP! Leave it alone. Don't touch it. Don't let anyone else touch it. Leave the area and be sure to tell an adult at once.
3. Even if a Fun looks like a toy, don't touch it. Some real Funs may look like toy Funs, so don't take a chance. Leave the area and immediately tell an adult.

REMEMBER: IF YOU FIND A FUN, DON'T PICK IT UP. JUST LEAVE IT ALONE, AND GO TELL AN ADULT RIGHT AWAY!

LIKE MANY EVERYDAY HOUSEHOLD ITEMS, FUNS REQUIRE PROPER RESPECT, HANDLING, AND SAFEGUARDS.